Star Fox: Circumvention
by Hopeless-Tyronos
Summary: SF: Corruption's sequel. It's been a year since Slippy and Amanda escaped Corneria, never to be heard from since. The Star Fox team, fresh off of hiatus is pushed back into their mission. Find Slippy and Amanda and bring them to justice. No matter the cost.
1. Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)

**Hello once again FFnet you sexy beast. Before we start I have to recommend you read Star Fox:Corruption before diving into this story as this is a sequel. (Don't worry, it's been fixed up and I'm not fucking up 'they're/their/there' anymore. I think. Anyway, I don't own Star Fox go bug Nintendo about that legal thing.**

* * *

**-Three months later-**

It seemed that everyone in Lylat was glued to their holo screens. From young to old, everyone knew why today was important. And for those that didn't the media quickly informed.

_'__Today marks one year since our Interim President Jack Beriul was removed from office by the CDF with assistance by the Star Fox team. Since then an elect panel of Governors and high ranking CDF officials have led Corneria until the inauguration is finalized. There have been reports of Beriul supporters threatening action at today's ceremony as Corneria swears in it's newest President. General Peppy had this to say about the threats.'_

The aged hare appeared on the holo screens. Peppy did his best to appear intimidating and spoke with a tone that left no room for argument._'__While we are fully prepared to deal with any threat made towards our soon to be new President Sampson; we aren't taking any chances. If these Beriul loyalists make any action against Corneria today they will be dealt with swiftly. They will not be given a second chance.'_

_'__While some feel that General Peppy's ruling is a little extreme, others believe that it might not be enough. One viewer who wished to remain anonymous stated that Jack Beriul attempted to tarnish Star Fox's reputation and anyone who think he's right should be incarcerated as well. We'll have continuing coverage on this after the break.'_

"They certainly haven't shut up about this." Tyronos grumbled as he took a haul off his joint. "Last three months all we've had is a bullshit scouting mission." The grey vulpine glanced over at Falco and blew out the odd smelling smoke. "Those two newlyweds should be getting back soon, right?"

Falco shrugged and waved the smoke out of his face. "How should I know? After that mission they got hitched and took off for their honeymoon on Sauria. I'm surprised Peppy let them take all that time off."

"I'm sure he's got his reasons." Tyronos mused. "Still, kinda hard to believe it's already been a year."

Falco nodded. "Doesn't feel like it's been that long. We searched for months and months but we never found them." The avian clenched his fist in anger. "They just disappeared completely, and if they're smart they'll stay hidden."

"I feel like this isn't over Falco." Tyronos took another drag before offering the joint to Falco. "It's help me deal."

"It used to help me. But I don't touch that crap anymore." Falco chuckled. "Maybe some of the Hot Rodders would, but I'm trying to stay clean."

"That old gang is still around?" Katt asked, causing both males to turn and face her. "I just got a message from Krystal. They want us to meet them downtown for the inauguration. My guess is Peppy wants some extra security."

"Or just wants us to witness it." Tyronos flicked the roach and stood up. "We'd better get down there regardless. Beats kicking around in this mess hall."

"I still don't see why Fox won't let us stay on the Great Fox. The barracks suck." Falco stretched his arms before standing up as well.

"He's got some pretty damn good reasons Falco." Katt said grabbing the avian's hand. "He'll be better about it once Slippy and Amanda are found." The small group remained quiet as they made their way across the CDF base. A few soldiers stopped and watched part of the legendary Star Fox team walk by them. A few scowled at Tyronos, not trusting a freelance mercenary working so closely with the CDF and Star Fox. The grey vulpine only chuckled; this type of behavior was something he had gotten used to.

As they approached the exit they were stopped by two guards who scanned their newly issued holo ID's. "General Peppy is expecting you three downtown. There is a car waiting for you." The soldier indicated the car with his head.

Falco muttered a thank you before leading them towards the car. "Anyone actually follow this Sampson guy? I'd hate for him to be another Beriul."

"Don't even joke about that Falco." Katt hissed. "Sampson is a good guy. He's got a level head on his shoulders and has been around since the Lylat wars. He'll be good for Corneria."

"As long as he doesn't revoke my clearance I'll support him." Tyronos chuckled. As they climbed into the car, the same report Tyronos and Falco had been watching was playing. An image of Slippy and Amanda had appeared on screen, putting the three into silence.

_'__Today almost marks the one year since both Slippy and Amanda Toad disappeared. Not even Beltino Toad has heard from his now estranged son. Dr. Toad was not available for comment. Rumours had been circling that Slippy and Amanda had worked with Beriul and simply fled. But nothing has been confirmed. Until the come forth, we may never know what happened to whom many considered the future for the CDF's Research Division. When we return we'll go live to the inauguration of Corneria's newest President.'_

"Well it's a good thing it's a short drive."

Falco glanced up at the driver, then back to Katt and Tyronos. "We had two weeks. And we searched damn near every inch of Lylat. I don't know what else we could have done."

"Who knows how long they had their escape planned Falco. They knew exactly where to go to hide." Tyronos looked out the tinted window. The damage that Pepper's civil war caused had vanished in terms of structural damage. But many citizens of Corneria hadn't forgotten what happened here. Somehow the media got a hold of a video of a fully armed Star Fox escorting an unconscious Jack Beriul and himself to a hospital. Many assumed Star Fox had only acted on Peppy's orders, Beriul had been keeping Peppy hostage for a while. Pepper's testimony in Beriul's case helped swing public favour for Star Fox. His assistant Jackie had proved to be quite a valuable asset. She had managed to keep his identity secret while he recovered in the CDF hospital. It was something he was thankful for, as well as a little intrigued. He was pulled out of his thoughts as the car come to a stop beside the busy downtown square.

"Let's hope these guys like action shots." Falco grumbled as they entered the mass of media, public, and military personally. While normally Falco would have thrived on all the attention. Today he kept his head down and allowed their military escort to create a path.

Katt noticed the change in Falco's demeanor but didn't say anything. Beriul's plan and Slippy's betrayal had hit the team hard. But Katt knew it hit Falco harder than he let on. It had taken her months, but finally Falco cracked. He had confessed everything to her that night and at one point asked her to marry him. Katt smirked at the memory. In a sense she had to thank Slippy and Amanda for pushing their relationship to such a serious level.

"I never seen this place so full before." Falco whistled sharply as he saw close to a thousand people sitting in front of a large stage. The stage had a brilliant red carpet covering from one set of side stairs to the next. On the carpet sat no less than twenty white chairs all of which seemed angled towards the glass podium that had a bouquet of mics and wires above a wonderfully crafted CDF logo. "Let's just hope this is the last time the CDF or us have to get this involved in an election. In four years all I want to do is vote."

"We're here to help keep the peace." Katt said. "Just like we always have."

"Just a matter of time 'til someone wants to break that peace." Tyronos muttered. He looked around. "Shouldn't Peppy and Pepper be meeting us here?"

"They're inside going over a few details." The three of them turned to see Jackie walking towards them. "It's good to finally meet you all in person. I would have done this formal introduction sooner, but you can imagine how busy it's been helping Pepper."

"More like babysitting I'd suspect." Tyronos mused. "Have you heard back from Fox or Krystal since you whisked them off to Sauria without the rest of us knowing?"

Jackie chuckled nervously. "I only acted on Peppy's orders. Now please follow me, we'll bring you all up to speed soon." Jackie led the small group into the nearby skyscraper which acted as a mobile CDF HQ as well as the backup location for the ceremony should the weather turn bad. As she went to open the door she stopped. "Hopeless was it? I believe the answer to your question is yes." She then opened the large frosted glass door. Inside was just as packed as outside if a little more crazy. Hundreds of assistants raced around the elegant foyer. Soldiers by the pairs at every door shown how real the CDF felt this threat was.

In the middle of all this stood General Peppy, Pepper, and the two remaining Star Fox team members Fox and Krystal McCloud. "Yo Foxie! Blue!" Falco called and jogged over to the small group. "Pepper, Peppy."

Fox smiled at his friend. "What's up Birdbrain? I didn't think you'd be this happy to see us back." Falco chuckled and clasped Fox's awaiting hand. The bumped shoulders before patting each other on the back a few times.

"Just imagine Falco whining about being in between missions. And you'll understand exactly how he has been since you two left." Katt said as she rolled her eyes. "Talk about a drama queen."

Krystal giggled and hugged her best friend. "It's good to see you again. I don't know how you survived longer than a week." Falco gasped dramatically and fell to his knees.

"Krystal! You wound me! I'm not too sure we can continue be friends anymore." The avian only managed a few seconds before he began to chuckle. "Come on Blue, don't act like I'm not the best pain in the ass you know."

"Let's just say we're all glad Katt keeps you in check." Tyronos nodded to both Peppy and Pepper before raising his fists to Fox and Krystal. "Glad to see you two back. This place is friggin boring." The grey vulpine bumped his fists against Fox and Krystal's. To them it was as much a greeting as a sign of affection from Tyronos. As he told the rest of Star Fox; he considered it his sign of peace. A promise; deal with problems head on.

"Sir, we should get everyone up to speed on today's events." Jackie said bringing up a holoscreen in front of the group. Peppy cleared his throat and moved beside the screen. "First of all, let me say it is a wonderful sight seeing Star Fox at full strength again." He looked at each member in turn. "Yes, even you Tyronos. Regardless of how it's put on paper I hope you understand we all consider you an honorary member of Star Fox."

Tyronos nodded. "Just trying to keep a low profile, you know?"

Peppy chuckled before returning to the holoscreen. "As you know today is a very important day. President Sampson will have some difficult issues to smooth out so soon as he hits office. But he won with seventy percent of the vote. While we assume this entire inauguration ceremony will go off without a hitch. We cannot afford to let the rumors go overlooked. Since you were the ones that exposed Jack's abuse of power we want each of you here to witness the ceremony personally. It'll help public image on all fronts to have you here." Peppy tapped the screen, turning it into a blueprint of the stage and surrounding area. "You can see here the entire section blocked off for today. The CDF will handle all exits, but I'm asking the Star Fox team to assist us. Putting the four public members in sight while letting Tyronos hit the roofs and help spot any suspicious movement."

"You sure you want Ty up there alone? He's probably still high." Falco chuckled as Tyronos playfully punched his shoulder.

"I'm a functioning stoner, thank you very much." The grey vulpine glanced over at Peppy. "Hate to admit it, but he's got a point. Another set of eyes wouldn't hurt."

Pepper indicated with his head to Jackie. "Take her with you Ty. She'll be more good to you until this ceremony is over." Jackie shook her head and handed her holoscreen to Pepper.

"Guess we'll go be bored together. Come on Hopeless, I'll take you up to the roof."

Tyronos smirked and quickly followed Jackie towards an elevator. Peppy tapped the holoscreen again, causing the image to change to a three-dimensional layout of the entire square. "I want Fox and Falco on opposite sides of the stage. You two will get the President inside and pass him off to us should it come to that. Katt, I'll need you to help our tech crew monitor the security camera around this area. It's my understanding Pepper had you do that often."

"Absolutely Peppy. Not a problem." Katt saluted Peppy casually. "Just let me know where the truck is."

"I'm headed there myself Katt, I'll show you." Pepper said with a smile. He shook Fox's hand once more. "Like I said, it's good to see you again Fox."

"Same to you Pepper." They waited until the old hound began to lead Katt towards the mobile monitoring station.

"Krystal. I'll need you to use your telepathy. Focus on any malicious thoughts." Peppy swiped across the holoscreen, causing it to power off. "You wrist comms should have switched to our secure network by now. You'll be in contact with the rest of Star Fox as well as the CDF should you need us. Like I said before this should go by smoothly. Once we're done here I'll need your team to come back to the CDF HQ for debriefing."

"Whatever gets us back on the Great Fox the quickest Pep." Fox's expression hardened. "We've still got an active mission after all."

Peppy went to speak but stopped. His lips curved into a sad smile. "Of course. But let's just make it through the afternoon first."

* * *

Tyronos glanced down at the square. It had been packed full of people in the time it took him to ride up to the roof. "You know, normally people have these ceremonies in a much bigger space." He took the offered binoculars from Jackie.

"We discussed that. But threats from Beriul's follower started to come in. So we switched to a place that is not only easier to evacuate, but also easier to cover. We've got a team on each adjacent rooftop." Jackie pointed to the three other buildings surrounding the square. "We're acting as spotters. Everyone at this inauguration has been scanned in for legal purposes. They'll have green outlines when you look at them in your digital binoculars. Anything will be red. If anyone spots a red blip it'll pop up as an indicator arrow until you find the person in question yourself."

Tyronos chuckled. "And here I thought these were just prototypes." He looked through the binoculars, letting the digital screen start-up before adjusting the zoom. After doing a quick scan of the area he looked at the three other teams. "Dare I ask why we've got the only two-man team?"

Jackie smirked. "Let's just say we're over qualified for this job, and leave it at that."

Tyronos matched her smirk. "Fair enough. But seeing is believing, and you'll forgive my early trepidation about being partnered with a secretary."

"Noted." Jackie laughed. "But I'll remind you that I work directly for Pepper, and I'm damn sure not his secretary." The wolfess tapped her headset. "We're live in five minutes. I want this channel clear unless necessary. We have direct contact to Star Fox should we need them. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" The three teams replied.

"Something tells me that Pepper's security force is manning the rooftops. Guess I know why he asked me to come up here now." The grey vulpine let the binoculars hang off his neck. "You know if the public ever found out about them being here it wouldn't help the situation."

"Then make sure you don't tell anyone about this." Jackie hissed. "We're here for the same reason Star Fox is. We want this inauguration to go as smooth as possible. Everyone Pepper brought here volunteered to be here."

Tyronos grimaced as he felt pain shot through his head. "Listen I don't have to explain Pepper's actions to anyone. If this gets leaked it's his own fault."

Jackie studied the vulpine for a moment. She had always felt that Tyronos was hiding something. When she had asked Pepper about Tyronos he only gave her a small file and told her not to dwell on it. All the reports showed him as a freelance merc that often helped the Star Fox team. Every so often he'd drop off the radar, but as soon as they needed him Tyronos came back.

When she put him into the CDF hospital she had hoped of learning something new about the vulpine. But all she learned was that he was healthy, but smoked more cannabis than anyone really should.

"Alright guys, rooftop is looking good. I've put white beacons around Star Fox as well as other dignitaries. It'll make it easier to confirm when our VIP's are clear. A synchronized timer will be in everyone's binoculars. Once we hit zero the CDF is taking complete control of this op. Wait for Pepper's order to engage."

Tyronos heard the acknowledgement and tapped Katt's name on his wrist comm. "Katt this is Ty, you read me?"

"Loud and clear Ty, what you need?" Katt replied.

"We're ready on the roof. You should be able to patch into our binocular feeds. It should help you spot anything we should miss."

"Copy that Ty. Katt out." The pink feline moved the rooftop team feeds into a separate holoscreen and expanded each feed to a reasonable size. "Looks like a green board Pepper. Just waiting on Sampson to arrive."

Pepper nodded. "I'm not expecting anything interesting to happen. But I've been wrong before. Peppy and I agreed that it was better to have and not need than to need and not have." The old hound looked up to the news feed and grinned. "Looks like Sampson is here."

"Game on guys." Katt said.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the President of Corneria, Jeffrey A. Sampson accompanied by General Peppy Hare." The crowd got on their feet and began to applaud. Sampson, who looked like a cross between Pepper and Bill, smiled brightly and waved as he and Peppy made their way to the stage. As he reached Fox he stopped and shook his hand thanking him wordlessly before continuing towards the other delegates. "You may now be seated."

Peppy approached the podium and cleared his throat. "Mr. President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen both here and watching at home. Today marks the end of the CDF's direct involvement with politics. It's a burden I can't say that I'll miss, but one we were happy to hold for as long as we did. It has been a long road, but now we are ready to start fresh. With President Jeffrey A. Sampson leadership we will see a bright future for Corneria and the rest of the Lylat system." There was a brief applause break. "I want to make a note at this time. Traditionally this ceremony is done in front of Parliament, but we decided to have it here. The reason for that is this building behind us is where our former interim president took his oath as well. And while most of us do not condone Jack's actions near the end of his presidency he still kept Lylat running smoothly and for that we thank him."

Krystal looked around. The mention of Jack's name had caused more than a few confused thoughts to float around. While the idea of thanking Beriul for his cause bile to rise in her throat, Krystal assumed that Peppy was just being official. She looked over at Fox and smiled; he had been looking at her, it had been that same look she had gotten the last few months. _'__You're making it hard to concentrate Fox.'_

_'So are you.' _Fox teased before focusing on Peppy once more.

"Now before I drone on too long, it is my great pleasure to introduce Corneria's newest President Jeffrey A. Sampson!" Peppy took a step back from the podium and began to applaud as Sampson walked up to him and shook his hand. The hound placed his holoscreen on the podium, and broke into a laugh as the applause only continued to grow louder.

"Thank you." Sampson waved and tried to settle the crowd down. "You're all too kind, thank you. I don't wish to take up too much of your time." He chuckled nervously, while on his campaign he had seen some big crowds and was used to being the at the center of a media frenzy. But this event humbled him. The entire system supported him and now he could give back and keep the trust he'd fought to earn. "Members of the Cornerian Defense Force, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Each time an event like this happens, it shows me that the united strength of Lylat is a force to be reckoned with. It shows me that each and every one of us has a voice, and that voice should be heard. You have heard my voice and elected me your leader. Now I will listen to your voices, together we will continue the peace we have all worked for. Corneria will become the shining star of Lylat once again. But I want the other planets under the CDF's protection that despite Corneria having eighty-five percent of Lylat's total population I will not give those planets less than one hundred percent of my focus."

Sampson took a step back from the podium allowing Peppy to move forward again. "At this time we will read the oath all presidents of Corneria have to make." Peppy waited until a few officers brought forth a beautifully crafted metal insignia for Coneria and Lylat as a whole. A map of the lylat system embroidered by sapphires with the inaugural speech written in a calligraphy style in the center. Sampson looked down at the emblem and smile before resting his hand on it and raised his other hand in the air.

"If you'll repeat after me." Peppy began. "I, Jeffrey A. Sampson, solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of Corneria, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the rights of everyone within the Lylat system."

"I, Jeffrey A. Sampson, solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of Corneria, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the rights of everyone within the Lylat System." Sampson heard the crowd overpower his voice with a thunderous cheer and applause. He smiled broadly and began to wave towards the crowd. He waited nearly three minutes before he could be heard over the crowd again. "Normally these events include a parade and a full days worth of activities. But I want to announce that this days is just as much yours as it is mine. Go out and enjoy today as Corneria take it's first step into our future. So as my first act of President I'm announce that today is officially Lylat day. One where we can remember all those that have fought to keep the peace in this great system. One where you can be with your families and take time to consider how lucky we all are. And if you can pardon this bad attempt at humor. I'd like a day to clean up a few messes. I give my thanks to each and every one of you." Sampson backed away from the podium again and began to shake hands with the delegates and military personnel.

Tyronos sighed. "You were right about being bored together." Jackie chuckled and set her binoculars down. "As much as I'm glad that nothing happened I sure could use some action." When Jackie didn't reply Tyronos tapped his wrist comm. "How are things down there guys? About as lively as they looked?"

Falco was quick to answer. "Let's just say I'm glad they kept this short."

"Other than one person who got up to adjust their camera I didn't see anything suspicious. Sense anything Krys?" Fox looked over at his wife.

"Other than someone's lingering eyes and a old couple cursing each other out mentally, there was nothing else that was out of the ordinary. I'm actually kinda surprised that it went so smoothly." Krystal watched as Sampson was guided into the skyscraper. "Crowd is starting to disperse, we should probably get inside as well."

"Monitors aren't picking up anything hostile inside either." Katt said over their wrist comms. "Pepper and Peppy wants us all to meet them outsider the truck once the President is clear. Ty, you and Jackie can come back down to ground level."

"And here I was just going to work on my tan too." The grey vulpine sighed and looked over at Jackie. "Close up shop. We're going back down."

Jackie nodded. "Head back home boys, Pepper will debrief us there. Switch to your civilian clothes. Over and out." Jackie looked down at the diminishing crowd. "For a group that was so passionate about Jack Beriul, they really feel through on acting on their threats."

Tyronos shrugged and handed his binoculars back to Jackie. "Who's to say they'll stay silent? Maybe today they changed their minds. It's hard to say what goes on in a mind that's not your own. Expect for Krystal I guess. Believe me I am not jealous of her powers."

"I don't think many people would agree with you at first. But I guess you've already thought of the pros and cons huh?" Jackie smirked. "I think I'd agree with you."

Tyronos smirked and got into the elevator. "You'd be one of the first to agree with me so quickly. Not sure how I feel about that."

"You might be a stoner Hopeless, but you've still got a good head on your shoulders."

"I don't remember telling you my call-sign."

Jackie snickered. "I read your hospital chart Tyronos. Kinda hard to ignore it when it acts as your last name." Tyronos went to speak but stopped. "I'm kidding. But the call-sign was registered to the CDF data banks once you got your holo ID. Forgive me for doing a little research on a freelance mercenary."

Tyronos eyed Jackie suspiciously. "Do me a favor Jackie. Let Pepper worry about my history." The vulpine quickly made his way towards the rest of the Star Fox team as the elevator door opened. Jackie was touching a nerve that normally didn't bother him. But it felt like she knew more about him than she let on.

"Alright now we can go meet up with those other three." Falco tugged at the collar of his shirt. "It's getting stuffy in here." He indicated the many members of the CDF and Corneria's political parties with his thumb. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, I'm wondering why they want to meet us there and not back in Peppy's office." Fox grabbed Krystal's hand before leading the team outside to the mobile monitoring station. The truck looked more like a modified Harvester than a technological marvel. But the CDF had a way of reworking their relics into state of the art equipment.

Katt waved them over, her expression hardened. Pepper had given her a short version of what was about to be discussed. While it wasn't a subject anyone on the Star Fox team wanted to deal with, it had to be done. Pepper stepped forward the group of five. "First of all let me officially say welcome back Star Fox. But when I tell you what we recently found out you may not feel like it is a warm welcome."

"What's going on?" Falco asked, folding his arms across his chest. "And, side note, why weren't we told about this?"

Peppy placed a hand on the avian's shoulder. "It wasn't a matter of informing an individual Falco. Once we heard what we did we knew we needed to inform the whole team." The old hare looked to Pepper. "It concerns what happened on Fichina. Before Beriul had been stopped."

Krystal gasped, sensing Peppy's thoughts. "What happened to Bill?!" The rest of the team looked from Krystal to Peppy. Pepper cleared his throat.

"It's not something we can discuss here. We'd like all of you to come to Peppy's office this evening. Just know in advance that Commander Grey is fine, but recovering slowly."

"What the hell happened to Bill?" Fox asked aggressively. "Tell us!"

Pepper threw up his hands in defense. "We will Fox, but not here. Just trust us for now."

Jackie's holoscreen lit up and began to beep. "Sir, we've got to get back to your estate. General Hare is needed as a witness to President Sampson's Oath of Office." Jackie turned to face the Star Fox team. "We will see you all later today. Until then you're welcome to enjoy the new holiday."

"You're dismissed for now Star Fox." Peppy gave them all a salute before heading back inside the building.

"So much for his retirement." Falco sighed. "I don't think they'll let him step down like Pepper did."

"He's got the mind for it." Tyronos chuckled. "But I'm worried about Bill. I wonder what happened."

"He got transferred back to Katina last I heard. Guess something must have happened to him." Krystal squeezed Fox's hand. "I'm just glad he's alright."

"Let's head back to the Great Fox. I'm looking forward to being able to relax again." Katt giggled. "I don't envy those soldier quarters at all."

Fox looked over to see President Sampson leaving with Peppy and a few other delegates he couldn't name. "Let's head to the Great Fox then and wait for Peppy to call us. Maybe we won't get another seven months of nothing."

"It's been nearly a damn year for some of us Foxie." Falco laughed. "Come on, let's go beat the crap out of each other in video games."

Krystal chuckled as Fox put Falco into a headlock and ruffled his hair. "As much as things change, they stay the same, eh?" Krystal turned to Katt and smiled. They turned around to see Tyronos coughing, a freshly sparked joint in his hand. "See what I mean?"

Krystal felt inclined to agree, but knew whatever happened to Bill was serious. As much as Peppy tried to downplay it, his thoughts betrayed him. She shook her head; it was out of her hands until Peppy and Pepper told them what happened. Until then she'd just have to carry that burden. "Let's go make sure they don't break themselves."

* * *

**Stay tuned! Next chapter coming out soon(ish)**

**H-T**


	2. No Roads Left

**-Earlier that day-**

Commander Bill Grey smooth out his uniform as best he could. He was glad Fara had convinced him to face this. For years he had been forced to keep silent, his mind numbed to the CDF's non-disclosure agreements. He had been told all about Beriul's plan before Slippy even installed the cameras on the Great Fox. He knew everything, and couldn't tell anyone. Not even Fara.

"I haven't seen you this tense since Beriul's trial Commander Grey." Jackie said with a warm smile. Bill tried to smile but only managed a crooked smirk. "I'd ask if you were well, but that clearly isn't the case." Jackie shuddered as a chill ran down her spine. She stared hard at Bill. She had a feeling he was suffering more than just physically.

"You're too kind Jackie," Bill grunted with effort as he stood up. "They might not believe what I tell them." The bulldog felt the room grow colder and began to shiver. "Did you guys crank the AC in here or something?"

"Temperature is regulated in here. It should be warmer in Conference room."

"Pepper is in there as well?"

Jackie nodded. "When you called during the Beriul incident Pepper got worried that you would never follow up. When you made the call this morning he had everything else canceled."

"I'm grateful for such priority," Bill stopped as they reached the door. "I know normally they wouldn't allow this. But I know you should hear what I have to say as well."

Jackie paused for a moment. There was something about Bill's tone that itched her curiosity. "If it's alright with them," She pushed the door open and walked up to the large glass table. "General Peppy, Pepper. Commander Bill Grey is here. He asked that I stay as well and listen to what he has to say."

Pepper and Peppy exchanged a quick look before nodding. "You've proven your loyalty to Lylat many times Jackie. We trust you to know what information is secret." Peppy placed his hand on the table, prompting everyone else to do the same.

Bill was hesitant. He knew in his heart that this was absolutely necessary. But a pinch in his mind held him back. He stumbled as Jackie helped him to his seat. "Thank you. Must be all these years of me having to stand all day." There was a light chuckle as everyone placed their hands on the table.

"Session start, You may remove your hands." An automated voice announced. Suddenly the lights dimmed enough for a hologram to appear. "All four member present have been cleared for classified information."

"Alright Bill, the floor is yours." Peppy said firmly.

Bill nodded and tapped the table to bring up a keyboard. He entered in his codes and opened up his file on Fichina. The file expanded into four sections. The first screen contained nothing but numbers. the second listed hundreds of media files. The third and fourth had pictures and video feeds respectively. "For the record I only wish that what I'm about to say was brought forward sooner." Bill tapped the first video.

"Is this about your call just before Star Fox got Jack?" Pepper asked as the video began to play.

"That and a lot more." Bill replied softly before looking up at the video. "This is a live feed in my room. The camera is fixed and only meant to monitor but the audio captures everything you need to hear." Bill watched himself standing in his old office.

_"He's back." Bill looked up at the Corporal in front of him. "You'd be advised to wait here, sir."_

_Bill nodded and walked into his office. He waited until the guard left and grabbed his emergency blaster. He quickly spun and shot two rounds into each corner. He growled and glanced over his shoulder before yelping as a bolt took his blaster out of his hands._

_"I know you called Pepper," A voice off-screen chuckled. "I'm not sure why you'd want that old fool's help but I'm glad he'll play some games with me again."_

_"Games?" Bill shouted he took a step forward towards the voice. "You think all of this is a game? You've been playing with peoples lives for too long. When I called you out it was because I was done. I've already got my ticket off this rock. My teams and I will be gone! But I wouldn't stay long. Corneria will come and settle this R- aUGH!"_

_Bill fell to the ground and grabbed his head as he yelled. "No one likes a tattletale Bill," The voice cackled as Bill screamed louder. "You're lucky you've still got a use Commander." Bill's scream stopped for a few seconds there wasn't any sound._

_"You'd better just rip that damn information out of my head you sick fuck!" Bill yelled as another powerful burst of pain shot through his head._

_"I already have," The voice replied. "I'll exchange some information for information. You know that. Since I now know that Lucy isn't here teaching anymore I can tell you something about the future!" A cloaked figure appeared and kneeled beside Bill, he whispered something into Bill's ear that caused the bulldog to gasp._

_"But…"_

_"Run back to your CDF Commander Grey. Jack's going to be too busy with Slippy's plan to notice you'd better be ready. Pepper had better be ready. This isn't an old man's game anymore."_

The video held a few more seconds of Bill clutching his head before it ended. Bill shuddered at the memory, and felt a similar pain bolt through his mind again. He grabbed his head much like he had in the video. "Bill are you alright?"

Bill nodded slowly. "Yeah sorry, phantom pains. Sometimes I still feel like he's in my head."

"In your head? Like Krystal's telepathy?" Jackie asked getting a strange look from Pepper and Peppy.

"Yeah, I guess. Look the whole thing is in the file so I'll give you guys a short version. You are not in control of Fichina anymore," Bill sighed ready to get this off his chest. "I have to think you've lost that planet for a very long time. When I got sent there after the Anglar Blitz I noticed that some of the newer recruits I was getting acted suspiciously after a few nights of patrols. So I went with them. I watched the entire squad take off their thermal gear and let the snow hit them. That's when I had my first encounter with a wolf they called Raji."

"Raji?" Jackie shouted, now she knew why Bill had insisted she stay. She had followed Raji's file for most of her career with Pepper. "General Hare, if Raji is involved in anyway my knowledge is going to be needed on the front lines. Whoever you send to find him I need to go with."

Pepper nodded in agreement. "She's been following him for years now Peppy. She knows his actions better than anyone else I've used against Raji." Peppy raised an eyebrow at Pepper. "He took claim for staging Andross' defensive fleets. Not that he'd face a team like Star Fox before!"

"We'll decide it after Bill is finished," Peppy smiled at Bill. "Please, continue."

"This guy has got to have telepathy but it's not like Krystal's. It's more aggressive. Instead of flipping through a book this guy ripped the pages straight out. Any information he wanted he got. No amount of training could withstand that for long." Bill glanced over at Jackie. "He explained all about your case Jackie. He was never afraid of your name despite how close you've been to catching him."

Jackie looked away from Bill. "He's a worthy opponent, I'll give him that."

"Bill can we get back to how we've lost Fichina?" Peppy asked sternly.

Bill opened up a few images. "There's something about the snow. Raji and Slippy have been working on this for a while. Not long after the Anglar Blitz I'd have to guess. Amanda has to be helping them as well. It's an environmental weapon, but thankfully it looks like he can only use it on Fichina."

"Send this to Beltino. He's got a much better eye for this than any of us here. Let him share it with whom he feels he can." Peppy ordered.

"Already sent sir." Jackie said quietly.

"There's something else. When you pulled out my squadrons you took out the only sane people left. Fichina is dark General. And I'm terrified as to think what will happen once he finds out." Bill sat down.

"I watched him trade you a medevac for information Bill." Pepper growled.

Bill smirked. "A trade? No. He gave me a warning. We don't only have to worry about Slippy and Amanda coming for Fox. We've got to worry about this crazy fuck coming after someone else on the Star Fox team." The bulldog's face fell.

"Raji told you all this?" Pepper asked.

Bill nodded towards the hologram. "It's all in there. I understand that it wouldn't take precedence over today's important event. But I assure you it is certainly worth glancing over before."

"We've got more than enough time to review this Bill. Two of our friends are in danger. I'll call Star Fox in for the inauguration today. They'll be safer as a team." Peppy said firmly.

Bill smiled. "I'm glad to help out those newlyweds."

"So you've known about this for years," Jackie locked eyes with Bill. "Why did it take you so long to bring this forward?"

Bill shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "He feed me information very sparingly at first. But when Fox and Krystal landed on Fichina he started coming more frequently. That was also when most of our newbies started acting strange. Those nights they spent waiting for that fake arms deal were among the worst I've ever seen. Imagine, nearly an entire base brought to their knees by a trick of the elements. The pain of having someone take control of your mind is unbearable. Only the crew that was exposed to Krystal's telepathy stayed sane. It only took a matter of days. Days! Before he had almost complete control of Fichina. I had my teams live on their docked ships. And I took the first chance I could to get off that planet."

"Bill. As your friend I have to pull into question your request for active duty. You've obviously been through a tremendous amount of mental stress and I'm not sure you've completely recovered from that." Peppy clasped his hands together.

"With respect Peppy. I'm only going to recover if I get back to work. Fara has been my rock through this all. I'd just like to be stationed with her on Katina. I'd even take private security for your daughter at this point!" Bill's voice grew more confident as he spoke.

"Provided you pass a mental exam, I'll approve your transfer immediately. Don't worry Commander, Katina will always have a place for you."

"Thank you General. That means a lot." Bill stood and saluted Peppy.

Pepper waited for Peppy to salute Bill back before opening the first screen. "Looks like he's got a small army now. It's no huge threat, but if he's as good as I remember than Raji can do a lot of damage with fifty men."

"We made it through his defenses before and we didn't have a telepath back then. We'll keep Fichina monitored at all times. I'll let him make the first move." Peppy glanced down at his watch, then to Pepper. "We need to wrap this up Bill. We've got a few things to take care of. But I want you to stick around Corneria. I think it'd be good for you to see Star Fox again."

"Computer, end session," Jackie ordered. The hologram disappeared and the lights became brighter again. "Sir may I have a moment with you and General Hare alone please?"

"Of course Jackie," Peppy turned to Bill. "You're dismissed Bill. Thank you for having the courage to share this information with us. I can understand how much of a burden that must have been. You're dismissed."

Bill smiled. "Just glad to be giving us some sort of heads up." He saluted Peppy again before leaving the room, but he still felt that chill in his spine as he walked toward the elevator. He still knew they wouldn't truly be prepared for Raji.

"What's on your mind?" Pepper asked as Jackie began to pace back and forth behind the table.

"We shouldn't inform Star Fox completely about Raji." Jackie said calmly."

"And just why the hell not?" Peppy snapped.

"This is my area of expertise General. I know Raji, and if he really is after a different member of Star Fox than he'll feed off of their paranoia. Krystal's presence should help block his influence. But I fear that Fox wasn't his first target. Maybe what affected the soldiers didn't affect Fox and Krystal because of her telepathy. We don't know much about her history, but it's not crazy to assume she'd have some sort of autoimmunity to an invading telepathy. And even if there was an attempt, she'd be able to defend herself. Maybe even subconsciously."

"Jackie, I understand you get these strange theories sometimes, and I've seen them become true more times than not. But you've got to be absolutely certain about this." Pepper's tone danced between rage and a practiced calm.

"I am. I'll even edit the file myself. All we'll take out is the Raji parts, and when the time is right we will tell them everything."

"You'll inform them," Pepper replied. "Because you're going with them. If this guy is as much a danger as you know he is than you'll need to be on the front lines."

"It'll be harder to convince Fox to let you on board. But I will force this on him. You will inform the team as soon as you are able. I will not be responsible for how Fox deals with you." Peppy stood up and went for the door.

"You have my word General Hare. I'll put my loyalty to Corneria on the line for this."

As Peppy held the door for Pepper, the old hound looked back at the wolfess. "I sure hope you know what you're doing Jackie,"

"Have I ever failed you?" Jackie replied with a smirk. The old hound chuckled as he left with Peppy. Jackie opened up the file from their meeting with Bill and replayed it. "There is a first time for everything I suppose."

* * *

Once they were back in Peppy's office Pepper went over to a cupboard and opened it. Peppy had copied his habit of stashing some hard liquor to sip at while doing end of the day reports. It was not the end of the day, nor were their reports to write but the situation called for some scotch to sip regardless.

"Is Raji someone I should worry about?" Peppy asked as he looked over Bill's reports. Pepper stopped with a glass in each hand and sighed.

"We had our moments against him. Last time he made direct contact was back in the Lylat Wars. Raji worked with Andross and was not afraid to make me aware of that. He has a mind for tactics, as I'm sure you you remember. He had thousands of soldiers flying to their deaths."

"At times it didn't feel like those enemies would end." Peppy could see the waves of enemies surrounding Venom. "Somehow we all came out alive. But how does Raji know about you?"

Pepper took a step away from Peppy. "I was General at the time, there would less people who didn't know who I was. We exchanged words shortly after Star Fox entered Venom's atmosphere. It was just to test the waters. He fled soon after Fox beat Andross. I never heard anything about him after that. But I hired Jackie soon after, and she set to tracking Raji down."

"So Jackie's been working for Corneria for a lot longer than we were told." Peppy noted. "So do you think we've actually lost Fichina?"

Pepper's face grew dim as he took a drink of his scotch. "The last time I saw Raji was just after his meeting with Bill. I was preoccupied with Jack, foolishly thinking he was our true enemy."

"Jack was our enemy we could not have ignored him even if we knew about Raji. We've been given a warning. It's a far cry more than we had back in the Lylat Wars. We'll just have to hope it's enough of a warning to matter."

"Don't underestimate Raji. He's been doing this longer than you."

"So have you," Peppy chuckled.

"I'll dip into my bag of tricks once more. But Raji isn't going to go down easy and I fear what madness he has exposed to Slippy and Amanda." Pepper finished his drink and placed his glass down on Peppy's desk. "We just might have a new version of Andross. I'm just not sure if it's Raji or Slippy."

"We have to let Star Fox know about this. We have to get Slippy and Amanda before they can do any harm. The threat of them working with Raji is something we can't ignore." Peppy swirled the amber liquid in the glass before taking a small drink. "Jackie had better stick to her word."

"I trust her, but it might work in our favour that Fox will not."

Peppy narrowed his eyes. "How? Play on his trust issues? You know he hasn't been very trusting since-"

"Manipulation is nothing new to you Peppy," Pepper chuckled wryly. "We need to keep everyone doing what we need them to. Raji is too real a threat to play by the rules."

"Playing by the rules is what got James killed," Peppy agreed. "But I don't think that is reason to -"

"We send Jackie with Star Fox because of that reason." Pepper said firmly. "We both promised James to keep Fox safe. This is our best plan to do that. I'm not sure how James managed to become the hero he did, but even if I was jealous of him I wouldn't have sent him to his death knowingly. I lost a friend, one I never got to say goodbye too. I will not put Fox in the same situation. We have the resources to keep him safe and his own distrust will just add a layer of protection we cannot afford to remove."

"I want to agree with you. But as General I cannot focus all our resources on Star Fox. There has to be a balance. I'll trust your agent Pepper, but I'll stand by what I said."

"So will she," Pepper picked Bill's report back up. " Jackie hasn't failed me yet."

"'Yet.'" Peppy repeated and picked up his own copy of Bill's report.

* * *

**Present - Peppy's Office - Several hours after the Inauguration**

"So I'm still not seeing why this meeting was so urgent. We already knew what Bill knew. He told us on the way to Beriul's old HQ." Fox said as he folded his arms.

"Dude, Slippy's still out there, don't you get that?" Falco said in an irritated tone. "We need to get back out there."

"I'm just as focused on that as you Falco." Fox replied sternly.

"I understand most of you have been sitting still for too long. I'll be sure to send you all on your way as soon as I can." Peppy smiled at their eagerness.

"Peppy, why did Bill bring this up today? I feel like something is missing here." Krystal was tempted to probe the old Hare's mind, but the deep uncertainty coming from him caused her to stop.

"Slippy and Amanda have been gone for a year. The team did exceptionally well, but you weren't able to find them. Bill's report breathes new life into your search." Peppy clasped his hands together. "He found someone that Slippy might be working with. A number of times Slippy and Amanda have visited Fichina on non-CDF business."

Pepper cut in. "We believe that this third party has been helping Slippy and Amanda hide. It's possible that they have been within the Lylat system this entire time. Since it's the anniversary we figured they might try and attack the inauguration."

"Which explains why you called us." Katt muttered.

"Then you should let us get on with our search." Tyronos kicked off the wall he had been leaning on. "Send a copy of this to Rob and we can get back out there."

"There's something else, we're sending Jackie with you." Peppy kept his calm demeanor as Fox glared daggers at him.

"Absolutely not." Fox said through gritted teeth.

"It's not up for debate Fox. Pepper and I can vouch for Jackie. She'll be more help to you than to us." Peppy glanced over at Pepper then back to Fox. "Another set of eyes isn't going to hurt your search Fox. You know I wouldn't do this unless I was certain it was necessary."

"We understand your hesitance Fox. You don't have to like it, but this is how it has to be." Pepper rested a hand on his shoulder. "We're not asking you to trust her Fox. Only to give this a chance. If you turn up empty handed after two weeks I'll pull Jackie off."

Fox growled but remained quiet.

"She was Pepper's mole during Beriul's presidency Fox. I can sense the trust he has for her and her skills." Krystal smirked at her husband. "I think it would be nice to have a fresh set of eyes out there."

"Suggestion," Tyronos said flatly. "How about I get a hold of my friend?"

"We'll discuss that later Ty." Fox hissed causing the grey vulpine to wave at him dismissively.

"At this point I just want it done. We've left this going on for long enough." Falco turned to look out the only window in Peppy's office. Solar had nearly finished setting, giving the metropolis a warm golden glow. "I'm sick of this constant stress."

"We all are," Fox whispered while looking back at Peppy. "I'm not happy about this at all, but I'll take Jackie with us."

Peppy nodded. "That's all we ask. I'll work on getting you cleared to launch. Any planet in particular you thought of starting with?"

"Aquas. Mostly for Beltino." Katt replied softly. "All he asked was to make sure it wasn't another Zoness."

"I'll send you the most up-to-date info we've got." Peppy looked at each member in turn. "Head back to the Great Fox for now. Rob will announce once clearance has been granted. Good luck."

"I'll have Jackie report to you soon Fox." Pepper attempted a smile but only managed to get a crooked grin. "Remember, it's only for two weeks."

Fox sighed. "She'd better be useful." Fox turned on his heel and began to walk out of Peppy's office. The rest of the Star Fox team followed him after a quick goodbye.

"I wonder how Krystal and Jackie will get along." Pepper said in an amused tone.

"I'm surprised Krystal didn't read our thoughts. I was certain she'd find out about Raji." Peppy stood up and walked to the window. Darkness had settled in now, and the Cornerian nightlife was just itching to start. "Why is this job harder to do during a peaceful time?"

Pepper shrugged. "I guess I kept myself distracted. A peaceful time for a General isn't a vacation. No doubt your mind has been running a mile a minute ever since the Anglars were defeated. I'd say that you should pick up a hobby, but I fear that our peace isn't going to last much longer."

"I knew it would only be a matter of time. I just didn't think it'd hit so close to home."

* * *

"I'm glad I won't have to see this tarmac for a long time." Tyronos muttered as he scanned his holo ID card. He had broken the silence surrounding the team since they left Peppy's office.

"Tyronos, I want your opinion on Jackie. You did work beside her today."

Tyronos was quiet as he thought about Fox's question. Overall she gave off a professional vibe, however there was something odd about her. "For what she's being assigned to do? She'll help us out to the best of her ability you wont have to worry about that. She does have a certain presence about her. You'll have to experience that for yourself, it's not something you can describe." The grey vulpine paused feeling that same jolt of pain run through his mind. He blinked rapidly for a second he felt like he was in a different tear.

"You alright Ty?" Krystal asked after sensing his elevated stress in his mind. Tyronos nodded and rubbed his temples.

"From what I saw of her while working with Pepper she seemed like the business first type. I can't say that I have any complaints. I think she actually leads Pepper's security forces. Why would he send her away?" Katt's question went unanswered as a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hey guys!"

Fox smiled as he saw Bill running towards them. "Bill! How you been?"

Bill shook Fox's hand. "I've been up and down. Mostly trying to keep a low profile. Those damn reporters have been hounding me for anything."

"I know how you feel." Tyronos mused.

"What brings you to Corneria, Bill? I didn't see you at the inauguration ceremony." Falco asked after Bill finished greeting everyone.

"I had a meeting with Peppy earlier today. Looks like I'm getting sent back to Katina! Not sure what as at this point. Something Peppy and the Commander on Katina are working out I guess," They all shared a laughed before Bill continued. "Anyway, I'm glad you two were able to get away for a while. The media didn't let up on you guys until you sneaked off of Corneria. I gotta admit, I wish I could have disappeared after that whole Beriul thing. But they needed my testimony. I knew I would do everything for you guys. I mean that."

"Thanks Bill, that means a lot." Krystal pulled Bill into hug. However, she couldn't help but sense the mixture of emotions pouring from Bill. His mind in general seemed scarred. Whoever did this to Bill knew many ways of damaging a mind. It shocked her out of the hug as she felt a foreign telepathy attached to the wounds in Bill's mind. "Bill what…"

"I'm sorry, I've got to run. It's been great seeing you all, but I've got to be at Peppy's office in ten. Come visit Fara and I on Katina sometime! I think Lucy is teaching there again too!" Bill waved and quickly ran off towards the security gate.

Fox took Krystal's hand in his own. "What was that Krys?"

Krystal felt a shiver run down her spine. "I don't know. I'm not even sure if what I sensed was accurate. It's just so… brutal."

"Whoever helped Slippy also informed Bill. He told him the truth about who was behind Beriul's blackmail. Why would he expose Slippy and Amanda if they were partners of his?" Katt asked as they continued toward the hangar.

"We'd have a better chance of finding out if we went outside military means." Falco smirked as Tyronos pushed him slightly.

"I've been pushing that for months Falco. Fox hasn't bit yet." The grey vulpine chuckled.

"I'll keep your recommendations in mind guys. I just want to try and keep this within the CDF and us." Fox replied firmly.

The group fell back into silence as they approached the hangar doors. Fox scanned his holo ID and glanced back at the group. "Oh, I forgot to mention. I kinda changed the Great Fox again." The doors opened and lights began to turn on revealing the newly upgraded Great Fox. The overall feel of the craft was similar to what they had during the Aparoid Invasion. However the design had been brought up to military standards. The scientists in the CDF had spared no expense, giving this Great Fox a custom alloy metal that allowed it to be faster with a sacrifice to their shields. It was a decision Fox had made when he had Beltino help him design the ship. He chuckled as Falco playfully collapsed onto his shoulder.

"Dude. Fuckin' A. This'll be just like old times." He pulled himself off the vulpine and began to walk around the new ship.

"I'm glad you went back to this. I have to admit that last one felt way too military for a Star Fox ship." Katt said with a snicker before walking over to Falco.

"Am I still allowed to smoke inside or will I have to make due with the new ship smell?" Tyronos asked in a serious tone.

Fox shrugged. "I did put in a lounge so, your guess is as good as mine."

"As much as I loved hanging out in the hangar, I'm easily persuaded by a more comfortable environment." Tyronos pulled out a joint and a lighter. "See you on board. I don't think I want to watch Katt pull Falco's jaw off the floor."

Fox and Krystal chuckled. The vulpine pulled his vixen into a hug and kissed her temple. "What made you choose this again? You seemed set on a CDF model again."

Fox sighed happily. "Call it a fool's hope. But I figured if I rebuilt the Great Fox the way my Dad did he'd somehow help us. Like he has in the past." He felt Krystal brush her muzzle against his.

"I wouldn't call it fool's hope if he's been helping you. I'd call it ambition. Somehow James's spirit protects you when you need it most. We believed something similar on Cerinia. We simply considered it protection. I guess James is still protecting you Fox." Krystal smiled as Fox's thoughts became even more positive. It delighted her to no end having Fox's mind so open to her. Even when that same connection held negative emotions after an argument here and there, she wouldn't trade it for anything.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

The team looked over to see Jackie standing close to the open door. "I appreciate you letting me come with you. I can understand how hard trusting newcomers can be," Jackie gave Fox a warm smile. "When I'm not needed you'll never know I'm here. I'll promise you that."

Everyone looked from Jackie to Fox and waited for the final approval. Fox turned his back to Jackie and let go of Krystal. The vixen sent one last thought to Fox before he walked to the wolfess. "We're all here on a job. I expect nothing less than your all when I need you, same goes for everyone else on my team. We're the best Lylat has, so you'd better start showing off those secret agent skills of your when we need them. IF we need them."

"When you say it like that I feel like I'm some sort of comic book heroine." Jackie giggled. "I understand Captain McCloud, and I'll respect any and all orders under your command. Maybe we'll even write a star studded screenplay about our heroic adventures."

"Oh good god not another Falco." Fox swore under his breath. "We're waiting on board until we get clearance. We've got plenty of guest rooms so pick one and scan your ID so Pepper knows you're here. Welcome aboard the Great Fox, Jackie."

Jackie knew now she had to be careful. One stray thought about Raji and Krystal would be on to her. She adjusted the pack she had on her shoulder and walked towards the entrance ramp of Star Fox's impressive battle cruiser. "Credit where it's due Captain. Much better design than your last model."

Fox muttered a thank you before climbing up the entrance ramp himself. "You go on ahead Krys, I'll get the ramp from here." Krystal felt him pull her back into a quick hug before he disappeared down the illuminated hallway. The main hangar doors began to open as Falco and Katt made their way up the ramp. Fox looked out into the darkness. "We will find you two, I know it." He bumped the ramp lift button with his hand, and turned down the hallway towards the elevator.

That had been the one tick on his mind he couldn't ignore, not even during his honeymoon. He knew he wouldn't be truly at peace until Slippy and Amanda were found. "Maybe I should go help Ty break in that lounge."

* * *

**In a reply too:**

_Spykethewolf: _First of all, I'm sorry I didn't reply to you sooner. I'm sure you might find a few more in this one as well. You and your smarts. xP I'm happy to see you're interest and I can't wait to see when you update your story! I NEED THAT OKAY? GAWD.

_Kazila: _I know right? Glad to have you along for the ride! We'll figure this all out eventually!

I've replied to the rest of the reviewers via PM for the first chapter. I'll likely reply to a few of the reviews of this chapter as well. But for those that I don't; you'll get a written reply on the next chapter. =)


	3. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

There were many words people would use to describe him. Just as many for his wife. 'Traitor' was popular amongst the media. However, he never betrayed anyone. He'd done his time with the CDF, and then with Star Fox. He had a bond with his team and felt like he belonged. He loved to tinker and helped the Star Fox team win crucial battles during the Lylat War. He'd even stayed during an eight year mission drought to keep the Great Fox in running order. He gave critical information during the Sauria crisis to his then Captain and friend Fox McCloud. After the mission the team was once financially secure and they had even gained a new member!

It was watching Krystal's skill quickly surpass his own that unlocked that part of his mind. A darkness that would soon corrupt him. He managed to suppress that side of him during the Aparoid Invasion and only lost character once with Falco. A feat he was still proud of to this day. Soon after that he met his wife, Amanda.

As his girlfriend, Amanda subtly pointed out how unfairly he had been treated during his service with the Star Fox team. In a sense, she had pried his mind open to the truth as well as the corruption. Amanda had even gone as far as to review the Lylat Wars files within Rob's memory. However, by that time he had already been twisted enough to see how little his supposed friends actually liked him. He blamed Fox mostly, his closest friend couldn't even see the changes in his demeanor. Not even Krystal could sense his thoughts anymore.

Amanda brought forth an idea from Jack Beriul. He too felt wronged by Star Fox and had recently come into an immense amount of power and wealth. Amanda didn't ask how Beriul came into power and briefly mentioned Jack's interim president status. The partnership with Beriul gave him access to everything he'd ever need in exchange for blackmail on the Star Fox team. Mere hours later Amanda had the blackmail from an outside source. The source had included Bill Grey. She had made a modification to Beriul's plan, and Jack had already given them the go ahead.

It had been too easy though. Beriul's plan backfired leaving the two toads no other choice but to escape. A lucky shot had slowed him down, though thankfully the next shot missed. Once inside the ship Amanda introduced him to a wolf who she claimed to have known for years. The wolf introduced himself as Raji and promised to keep them safe. He too had a reason for going after Star Fox and he knew someone within the CDF would try and stop him. However, he had a plan and needed two brilliant minds to help him finish it. Amanda kneeled before Raji, instructing her then fiance to do the same.

"Raji was the one that helped Beriul get into power," Amanda explained. "He's got telepathy like Krystal but it isn't the same."

"That's enough Amanda," Raji smirked indicating for the two toads to rise. "If you promise me your help Slippy Toad, I will deliver Fox McCloud to you."

"If you keep us alive long enough you won't have to deliver him to me," Slippy grinned staring hard at Raji, "I'll help you, Raji. Let's show Lylat what happens when you fuck with the wrong people."

"Dare I ask if you'll feel bad about one last betrayal?" Raji asked with a chuckle. He could already sense Slippy plotting against not only Star Fox, but all of Lylat.

Slippy's face fell as anger surged through him. "For the last time. They betrayed me."

* * *

The green amphibian shook his head, snapping himself out of his daydream. All that had happened a year ago. His jaw tightened. He had promised himself that Fox McCloud would not survive for another year. With a snarl of frustration he slammed his fist on the metal table in front of him. A few gadgets he'd been working on rolled on the table but didn't fall off. Slippy looked at the still moving metal sphere. It had been a project he started back on the Great Fox. What exactly it did he wasn't completely sure. He never actually finished the project and moved on to another one. Now it served to mock him. A life he used to have, one that was simple. It wasn't much but it was all he had left aside from memories. Memories that had been twisted and corrupted. Star Fox was his enemy now. So why did he feel like Amanda was taking this better than him? She had never seemed happier since they started working with Raji.

"I have no regrets," Slippy said to himself, "this was something they brought upon themselves. Things could've been different, they could have actually appreciated me and my skills more. Fox wasn't the leader we needed, he became too distracted by Krystal to effectively lead our team. Those other two never tried to be my friend. They only played nice when Fox or Pepper were around. Krystal was a different thing altogether. Her telepathy had been hard to evade, and she had the smallest file of blackmail I've ever seen. In the end she was simply found the wrong vulpine to get married too." Krystal had seen the true side of Fox. He was willing to burn bridges with her just to keep her safe.

It was before Krystal forgave Fox that Slippy felt a twinge of guilt. Fox had been so broken that it almost felt like pity to put him out of his misery. So he helped talk Krystal into forgiving Fox, if only to give himself justification in killing him. Once they had gotten back together, Slippy and Amanda installed the security cameras in every room of the Great Fox. Slippy flew back to Corneria solo to give Jack the hologram of Peppy sending Fox and Krystal to Fichina. The rest of what happened was basically public knowledge by now. Beside, Star Fox saved the day again. However, the team wouldn't be saving anyone from their new plan.

"This year went by so fast. Raji has some amazing ideas, but this last one really is impressive." Slippy always had a habit of talking to himself, age had done nothing but worsen the habit. He stood up and walked to the nearby hologram showing the blueprints of Raji's newest weapon. "Hard to believe he had a prototype. I guess the technicians and scientists on Fichina aren't too terrible. Still, it fails in comparison to ours," Slippy looked from the hologram to his table, cackling to himself as he picked up the semi-finished weapon. "No one in the galaxy has a defence against this. I just hope Raji can handle it."

Slippy turned as the door opened, revealing his wife as well as Raji. Their conversation halted as they saw Slippy. "I see that the weapon is coming along. Amanda tells me that this has been your design from the start."

Slippy grinned and set the weapon down. "She's modest. Amanda helped out a lot more than she'd ever admit."

Amanda smirked and walked over to Slippy. "I only offered my input here and there."

Raji took the weapon in his hands. "It's heavier than it looks. Have you figured out how long it'll keep within the atmosphere?"

Slippy nodded and pulled out his laptop. He loaded up a side by side of Raji's old prototype and his own. "We'll compare," The two videos began to play a time lapse of just under four hours showed his new weapon staying within the atmosphere while his old one had began descending to the planet, "Just in it's digital stage it's a better weapon."

"Let me know when you're finished. Amanda stay here and help Slippy. Oh, and I've got a live feed from Corneria. I think they were talking about you two."

As Raji left, Amanda walked to the holoscreen. "How'd he get a live feed from Corneria this far on the outskirts of Lylat?"

Amanda shook her head and adjusted the volume. "Maybe he's bouncing off of a Fichina satellite?" The feed showed a still of the Star Fox team taking Jack Beriul out of his HQ for a few moments before it changed to a live shot of the inauguration site.

_'__Today almost marks the one year since both Slippy and Amanda Toad disappeared. Not even Beltino Toad has heard from his now estranged son. Dr. Toad was not available for comment. Rumours had been circling that Slippy and Amanda had been working with Beriul and simply fled. But nothing had been confirmed. Until they come forth, we may never know what happened to whom many considered the future for the CDF's Research Division. When-'_

Amanda looked back at Slippy who had remotely muted the holoscreen. "They'll see us again soon enough. My father wouldn't understand why we're doing this. He'd given me such huge shoes to fill. The pressure to succeed was unbearable at times. I don't think he'd settle for anything less than CDF Research Director as my title."

Amanda pulled Slippy into a hug. "Another person who failed you," she whispered.

Slippy looked at the floor. If he was going to feel regret, it would be for leaving his father alone. "He might be the one person I've failed," He moved away from her and sat back down. He picked up the weapon's motherboard and sighed. "We've got a lot of soldering to do."

Amanda glanced at the blueprint on the hologram and changed it to a three-dimensional rendering of the finished product. It looked like a combination of the missiles used in the Anglar Blitz and the Lylat Wars. However once it reached it's destined planet it didn't explode. It began to act as a satellite. It expanded and would make four full rotations of the planet, releasing it's payload during that time. "I'm still not completely sure about how well this will work."

"Good thing we don't have about it. That part of this weapon was handled by Raji. That guy has the combined passion of the three members of Star Wolf when it comes to dealing with Star Fox," Slippy pulled out a fine tip black marker and began to draw lines to the holes he had drilled out earlier. "I have to admit though, what he plans on doing with this. I don't see a whole lot of room for error."

Amanda was quiet for a moment. "We've ran the numbers on this Slippy. You have the greatest mind in the galaxy. I don't think you're capable of letting errors happen."

Slippy scoffed. "With this weapon? No, I haven't allowed for errors. That doesn't mean I'll never let them happen. I didn't become interested in becoming a mechanic so I could be a perfectionist. I pushed the technology as hard as it could. I forced glitches and errors into my systems so I had more of a challenge repairing the CPU. You need to have those errors and mistakes to learn. I made those mistakes then so I wouldn't make them now. This weapon is volatile Amanda. I'm not making errors because we can't afford them."

"We'll be on a planet again soon Slippy," Amanda said gently and kissed his temple, "All we need is this weapon and we'll have any planet we want to ourselves."

Slippy smirked. "Then you should probably start on those smaller boards. This one might take me a while."

A silence fell between them as they continued to work diligently. With every board they finished, they came closer to their goal. Closer to finishing off Star Fox and soon after, Lylat.

Through his hidden camera Raji watched them work. He was quite pleased with Slippy's design and couldn't wait to test it. "I'm due for another visit on Fichina. I wonder if the ex-Commander got the reinforcements he wanted," Raji chuckled. The idea of Bill even coming back was hilarious. He could still faintly feel the effect he had on the bulldog's mind, the scar tissue still pulsed with his telepathy. It had been harder than he thought at first as he didn't expect Bill to have contact with another telepath. However, that day he learned two things. First being that he had a rogue telepath to find. The second, the barrier he broke through felt like it came from Cerinia, something he thought impossible.

"Sir!" An image of one of his officers appeared in front of him. "We've got an update on Fichina, sir."

Raji nodded, "Go ahead."

"Sir, there is no longer a CDF presence on this planet. Your bio-weapon worked wonderfully!"

"Of course it did," Raji muttered, "you'll be delighted to hear that I've giving that weapon an upgrade. Once it's ready we'll start our attack. It's been a long time coming, and the Lylat system won't be the same again. Keep our men in top form, Commander."

"Sir!" The officer saluted Raji before he cut the link.

The wolf closed his monitors and walked calmly to the bridge of his cruiser. The ship itself was of no real importance and was only used to blend in. It was simply being used to serve its purpose. Once the attack began he could use the CDF ships Bill hadn't taken to Corneria. It would be stressful feeling close to two battalions of minds to control; thankfully this bio-weapon made their minds easier to attack. Those that resisted had been subject to additional sessions, with Bill being the hardest to break.

"Mister Grey," Raji scoffed, "If you hadn't been exposed to Krystal's telepathy I could have used you. The men would have followed your every order but you had to go and fuck up everything. I will not show your friends the gentle side I had with you. I will break them, one by one." He chuckled and sat down in his chair. "I will break the Cerinian first, that will give Slippy the time he needs to deal with McCloud." The wolf smiled, it would be refreshing dealing with another telepath again. Bending normal minds had become too simple, and the thought of controlling another telepath was too enticing an opportunity to pass up.

"Lets see if the Cerinian knows how to play,"

* * *

"Everything alright, Bill?" Fara asked causing her boyfriend to snap out of his thoughts.

"Absolutely," The bulldog replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "I'm headed back to Katina. Going to spend more time with you, plus I know I helped out Fox and the gang. I don't think I could be happier."

Fara scoffed. Earlier that day Bill had been a complete mess. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, he barely made himself presentable, and he could barely speak. She cleaned him up and sat him down with some tea. Not ten minutes later he was bawling his eyes out, claiming he had information that would save Fox McCloud and his team. She knew better than to ask since they were both well versed in the various non-disclosure agreements the CDF had in place. However Bill broke one of them. He told her he knew who was helping Slippy and Amanda Toad hide.

Since his meeting with Peppy and Pepper, Bill was in much better spirits and health. She was glad that he had the meeting. "Just as long as you don't worry yourself sick again."

"I've learned my lesson babe, honest," Bill grinned and kissed her temple. He felt a jolt of pain race through his mind, but ignored it. Raji had a way of keeping tabs on the minds he'd taken over. In his case anytime Raji was content with only the pleasant feeling of having his brain put into a vice until he would yield. The CDF had training for mind games sure. They taught you how to keep your mouth shut. But they certainly didn't train you for a telepath. Krystal showed them that. More than once Bill heard Krystal telling the younger cadets to be more professional. She'd only caught him once, a stray thought of how lucky Fox was.

"It'll be nice not having to worry about you anymore," Fara giggled pulling Bill out of his thoughts, "Okay, not as much. But I still don't trust you to work the oven."

Bill rolled his eyes. "You burn dinner slightly once, and they never let you forget it," He gave her a genuine smile and chuckled. "Good thing I guess, you are the better cook."

Fara returned his smile. This was the Bill she fallen in love with. "It's about time you started acting like yourself."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Bill took his arm off her and interlocked his hand with hers.

"Commander Grey? Your results came back," A male avian doctor lifted up his holoscreen, waiting for Bill and Fara to approach him before he continued. "Given what you've been through Commander I should be reading a report that deems you unfit for duty. However, that is not the case. You're thick skinned Commander, and I guess you've got a hell of a mental defence as well. You show signs of mild PTSD, which is normal and you seem to be managing your symptoms well. You're not one hundred percent but stress will do that to a body. You're cleared for light duties, come back in a month and we'll see if you're clear to do more."

Bill smiled. "Thanks Doc. Light duty is better than none. I'll be back in a month for sure, and you'd better believe I'll be ready for a full workload," The avian, who looked strikingly similar to Falco extend his hand. Bill shook it, but couldn't shake his quizzical look. He glanced down at the golden plated name tag 'Lombardi' was etched into the tag in black. "Excuse me, but are you?"

The avian sighed. "Yes, I'm Falco's father. No, you can't tell anyone. No, you can't tell Falco I work on Corneria."

Fara scoffed. "Does Falco even know you're alive?"

"Oh, because we don't have a good history implies that we don't talk?" The doctor shook his head. "Listen, I've got other patients that don't know anything about me. You're cleared, like I said. Enjoy Katina, Commander Grey."

Bill looked at Fara and shrugged before turning to leave. "No wonder Falco is an asshole."

"One last thing, if I may Commander," Bill looked over his shoulder at Falco's father. "If my son has to face the same horrors you did, please tell him how you survived. He's all I have left."

"Wilco," Bill replied before continuing out of the CDF hospital. "You were right. Falco is an asshole at times, and I guess we figured out where that comes from. I think we also know how loyal he is through his father as well." Fara nodded but didn't reply.

Once they got outside, a soldier approached them. "Commander Grey, SSA Phoenix I'm on orders from General Hare to drive you two to the hangar. We're headed back to Katina tonight. If you'll follow me to the car we'll be on our way," The soldier turned on his heel and started leading the towards their car.

"Whatever was in your report must have really been something good. I don't think I've seen anyone get pushed through the system so fast before!" Fara couldn't help but feel curious about Bill's report. He'd only shared bits and pieces with her, and most of it was general knowledge of Fichina. Clearly Bill had been on to something bigger than he could tell her. "They will let the rest of us know about your report, right?"

Bill shrugged and opened the car door for her. "They might not have a choice in the matter. It's not something they have complete control over. I wish I could say more Fara, you know that. My hands are tied," Fara sighed and got into the car.

As Bill got into the other side a thought came into Fara's mind. "What if they don't? It wouldn't be the first time the CDF tried to cover up shit like this."

"They haven't faced something like this before Fara. If they make that mistake then I'll give everyone the truth. Lylat will need to prepare for what's coming."

* * *

Fox had thought for sure that getting on the Great Fox once more would settle his nerves. However, after their suitcases were unpacked and all that was left was arranging personal items and knick knacks Krystal had become annoyed with him. He went along behind her and changed everything as soon as she was finished arranging. She shooed him out with as much politeness as she could manage and he was left to amuse himself elsewhere.

"Good thing I put in that lounge," he laughed a little as he walked the hallway to the room. He was not surprise to find it was already occupied.

A knock on the wall caused Tyronos to look up from his nearly complete joint. He looked over to see Fox sitting down across him. "Nice set up in here," The grey vulpine finished up his joint and leaned back into one of the three comfortable dark blue couches. The glass table he'd been using also featured a connection to the CDF so that they could have their debriefings in a more relaxed environment. "You've got a thing for blue it seems."

Fox chuckled and relaxed into the couch. "The way I see it, blue is a very relaxing color."

Tyronos smirked. "I'm not entirely sure how a guy who just got back from his honeymoon would already need to be re-relaxed. Since you're here I have to assume you've got something on your mind."

"You're the only one on board that will give me an unbiased opinion," Fox said with a shrug. "Besides, I've done research on what you smoke. It couldn't hurt to try."

"Side effects include; increased hunger, ability to sleep wherever you are, and making music awesome." Tyronos sparked the joint and took a few quick puffs. "Have you actually smoked this before?"

"Maybe once or twice back in the day. Falco suggested it might help me come to terms with my father's death," Fox took the offered joint and studied it for a moment. "I guess now I just want to be able to sleep without thinking I'll get a dagger in my back."

"You're still paranoid about Slippy and Amanda, huh?" Fox nodded and took a puff, nearly coughing out the smoke instantly. "Hold it in and breath out slowly."

Fox blew the smoke out, coughing a few more times before he tried to pass the joint back to Tyronos who declined. "Come on I can't get too high, I do have responsibilities you know."

"You picked the wrong joint for that, Fox. I don't buy weak shit," Tyronos waited for Fox to take a second puff before taking the joint away from him. "That should keep you happy for a few hours. Now tell me why you're still so damn paranoid."

"Still?" Fox asked feeling a rush of anger. "They betrayed this team! How do I know Slippy or Amanda won't turn into Pigma and get me killed? I can't let that happen."

"Fox. If you're that worried about those two why won't you let me help? We're about to go back across Lylat to find them and I doubt they'll show their faces unless they want to," Tyronos took a long haul off the joint and held it in for a few seconds, Fox had to learn how to puff properly anyway. "The CDF won't react until they hit them first. Peppy is bound to their rules Fox, and with his personal connection to this mission I doubt he'll be the only one overlooking it."

"Ty, I want to keep this within the CDF and us," Fox took the joint and took a few small drags off of it. "The less people that know the better."

"And what if they attack a planet? How many people will know then, Fox?" Tyronos's voice held a slight bitterness. "Why the hell are you so afraid of letting this get out?"

Fox lowered his head. "Our team was nearly torn to shreds by the media. I want to settle this quietly so that we can keep our reputation within the Lylat system."

"Fucking PR? You're worried about fucking PR?" Tyronos took the joint from Fox and set it in his ashtray. "Who the hell cares what people think of you, Fox? Or this team for that matter, you're all celebrities. The media is going to be searching for any Star Fox related story because you guys make them money. Let them find the story they want, you'll know the truth and that should be enough for you."

"I want to protect our names, Tyronos!" Fox shouted. "We don't all have the ability to just disappear for a few months and have everyone forget we were ever here."

"We're quite capable of protecting ourselves, Fox," Tyronos shot back. "You don't need to be thinking of everyone else. If you want to see this through to the end you've got to make a stand for yourself. The team will back you up, and we'll give you everything we got to see this through to the end. You just need to let us help you."

Fox was stunned. He knew Tyronos wouldn't cut any corners but something clicked in his mind. "You might be right Ty," He took the joint and used Tyronos's lighter to spark it back up. "I'm not going to make a habit of this."

"Can't say that I mind the company, smoking alone kinda sucks." Tyronos felt another stab of pain in his mind, his vision split in two momentarily and he swore he saw two versions of Fox sitting across from him. He grabbed his head and hissed in pain.

"What's up with you? Headache?" Fox stubbed out the joint. "We've got some painkillers in the medbay if you want some."

"We just smoked a painkiller," Tyronos chuckled he blinked a few times and shook his head. "Besides having a headache is putting it lightly." He pulled out his tin and grabbed a pre-rolled joint. Fox raised an eyebrow at the tin, as well as the number of joints the grey vulpine had rolled. "What? You came in as I finished the last one."

"Not sure I should partake in that one. I think I already feel it," Fox felt his eyes begin to tingle as the THC began to settle into his bloodstream.

"Are you sure Krystal's okay with you smoking this? Also I feel like that should have been my first question." Tyronos chuckled causing Fox to begin laughing.

"She did tell me to find something to help me relax. She told me that my thoughts were having a bad effect on her, like a constant stream of negativity," Fox frowned. "I was so sure that I'd end up being betrayed like my father was. Krystal actually left for a few days because of it. When she came back I did everything I could to push it aside."

"She must have sensed how real you thought the threat was," Tyronos stood, handing the freshly lit joint to Fox. "Smoke this and go unwind somewhere, maybe go meditate with Krystal. You let that paranoid build up and you might end up in the same spot you were in before the Anglar Blitz. Just a friendly reminder Fox, not a taunt."

Fox sighed. "It might take a lot more of this to get that off my mind."

Tyronos rolled his eyes. "Ever try of thinking of something else? Your wife maybe? A new game, anything man. Distract yourself until we're actually on the mission, worry about that shit when we need to." With that Tyronos left the lounge, leaving Fox alone.

The vulpine scoffed. "It's never the mission I'm worried about. It's the outcome." Fox took a long hit from the joint, letting the smoke out slowly much like Tyronos had been doing. He began to cough again, but not as long as before. "Smoother than any of that crap Falco had, that's for damn sure."

Tyronos walked on autopilot to his room. Everything about him felt heavy, but nothing more so than his head. Even his best joints couldn't combat it anymore. He knew that staying too long would be a disaster and now it was over a year. He needed this mission to end. He needed to reach his contact, she was the only one who had the skills they needed to end this goose-chase before too much more time passed. Finally he reached his room and flopped onto his bed. He lay face down into the mattress, both feet and an arm hanging off the edge, before rolling over and holding his forehead at the same time.

"Fuck it," he said finally, letting go of his head and bringing up his wrist comm. "She's probably been tracking us since the beginning anyway."

Tyronos entered a passcode and a different menu appeared in place of the standard CDF interface. It was old and familiar. Tyronos grinned a little as he entered a quick message.

_'Knock knock.'_

_'Go away.'_

_'You know why I'm contacting you.'_

_'Sure. Has Red given the go ahead yet?"_

_'Not exactly.'_

_'Call me when he does. I'll be ready.'_

_'It's annoying when you wanna follow the rules.'_

_'Only when they're not your rules. See you soon, Asshole.'_

Tyronos was relieved for a few minutes but soon had to deal with his plan to get Fox on his side. _'__My rules huh?'_ he pondered as the messages had erased themselves. Like they had never even existed. He smirked and then sighed. _'__Maybe it's time to play by my rules again.'_ He pulled himself upright and switched his comm back to the CDF display. _'__Just for a little bit.'_ A little emotional manipulation wasn't beneath him if it meant doing business. He looked at his pillow and as if hypnotized by it he slowly laid his head upon it. "In the morning," he said softly and too quickly was asleep.

* * *

**In a reply to:**

_Kazila - _I wouldn't trust Jackie right away either. We'll see what happens with her.

_bryan mccloud - _Can't help myself, Ghost is a really fun character to work with.

_Mild Heartache - _What makes you think Raji's Cerinian? Granted that's a logical assumption. I'd rather not go into much detail in a public reply because it would spoil a few things. As for that line you found, I fixed it. Still wondering how I let that get uploaded, no more late night uploads for me.

_insomniareader - _Chapter 1 - Yeah man, Corruption was far from beautiful. I'm actually happy with it now. These two stories are going to make one complete tale.

Chapter 2 - Oh they'll interact alright, just a matter of time. Bill does have an important roll, however we won't be seeing him for a while. Bill also been on of my favourite minor characters as well. Like I said to ~Kazila I wouldn't trust her right away. ((I'm glad they took the time to show me those examples. Stuff like that helps my beta reader and I stay sharp while we're(They're) editing the chapter. But I can see what you mean. However, I'm sure their story will be wonderful once they begin uploading it. I really am looking forward to it.))

_Jeff - _Chapter 1 - JEFF! So you know, Jeffrey A. Sampson is a nod to you for all your kind (yet anonymous) reviews on just about everything I've written. Points if you figure out what the A stands for =)

Chapter 2 - I think you're the first to assume Jackie is there to help. Also, I planned this story out will address every plot hole I found, and there were quiet a few. Glad to have you on board again!

You other ones know who you are!

H-T


	4. Clairvoyant Disease

Jackie had Bill's report open and was studying it. She had nothing better to do and she didn't feel as tired as one should have been this late in the night. Sleep wasn't something she needed a lot of. A few hours here and there and she was good to go for another day. A condition that only continued to serve her well once Pepper had hired her on. Not that it had been a whirlwind of non-stop action since then. In fact it was quite the opposite after the Anglar Blitz. Being planted in Jack's organization had been her most recent mission up til now. Raji hadn't made so much as a peep in two years. Now she knew why.

He'd taken Fichina from right under the CDF's nose. He'd done it with only now obvious hints within reports and messages. She should have seen it before it got this far! She could have at least warned Pepper about it, he'd put that information through the proper channels. She shook her head; swiping her finger across the screen to move to the next few pages of Bill's full report. She was looking for times when Bill mentioned Slippy or Amanda; so far she'd come up empty handed. "Leave to it an Amphibian to avoid cold weather."

Before she could continue complaining she spotted Slippy's name appear. She tapped his name, causing a new screen to load. A still photo of Slippy standing on the wing of his Bullfrog could be seen alongside an audio recording. She gently increased the volume until she could hear Bill's voice.

_'__Slippy Toad came to visit us today. Oddly he didn't seem phased about what was happening with the snow. Maybe he's working on a cure! I knew Corneria wouldn't forget about us! He did ask about a satellite though, which is weird because we've only got a few of them. Officially we have six satellites in place with access to a seventh if we need it. Scans picked up seven in orbit. Again Slippy wasn't phased about the seventh satellite and only asked for blueprints and all three-dimensional renders of that satellite. Not once did he mention why, and only after he'd gotten back into his ship did he say it was a Star Fox related mission._

_Something isn't right here. Why would Star Fox need a satellite?'_

"Whatever they're working on," Jackie answered with a scoff. "What does Raji have planned for Lylat? Better yet, will we be able to stop him?" With a sigh she glanced over at the clock. "Is it morning already?" She looked out of the only window in her room, seeing Solar's light begin to pierce the horizon. "Time flies when you're having fun." She closed Bill's report and left her room. She hadn't really paid much attention when Fox had explained where everything was - much too distracted by controlling her thoughts. She'd dealt with Raji's telepathy before, but Krystal was a whole new experience altogether.

During their brief time together before she whisked them off to Sauria for their honeymoon, Jackie had her first experience with Krystal's telepathy. It was gentle, controlled and lacked any of the brutality Raji's had. His - as Bill had explained - was ruthless. Soon after Krystal and Fox had left Jackie could still feel a faint connection to Krystal, something that had scared her.

No one - not even Raji - had left such an impact on her mind. Even during the events at President Sampson's inauguration, Jackie felt Krystal's presence in her mind, this time it felt stronger. Some how Krystal's power was growing, and with information about Cerinia all but lost, Jackie had to assume it was because of Fox. "The mental bond between them could be subconsciously increasing her power. I doubt she even knows it."

She shook her head and silenced her thoughts. The rest of the team would be getting up soon, or at least Fox would be. The rest of the team wouldn't be needed until they got closer to Aquas. Once satisfied with her clear head, Jackie continued towards the kitchen, the lights within the hall automatically brightened to simulate daylight.

After a few minutes and some choice foul words Jackie had made it to the kitchen. She felt a twinge of jealousy as she inspected the area. A full set of stainless steel appliances, black granite counter tops, and a built in display on the fridge that listed recipes based on what was available. "Someone's got a passion for cooking." She mused as she made her way towards the unmistakable smell of freshly brewed coffee. It didn't take her long to find the mugs and pour herself a cup. She took a small sip and smiled, whoever made this had the science of coffee brewing perfected.

"I hadn't expected anyone else to be awake yet," Jackie looked over to see Katt walking towards her. "Looks like Fox kept that setting on the coffee maker. Fresh stuff every morning." Katt smiled and went to get herself a cup as well.

Jackie sat at the large frosted-glass table. It could easily fit ten people comfortably, and the chairs looked like they belonged in the CDF's debriefing room. "I didn't figure McCloud to be a fan of cooking,"

Katt giggled and joined Jackie at the table. "None of us did at first. Turns out he's a really good cook, you should try some of his pizza sometime! Restaurant quality."

Jackie chuckled as she imagined the battle hardened Fox McCloud dress up like a chef. "I doubt I'll get the chance Katt. Two weeks isn't long enough to build up trust, even then I don't think he'll be in a cooking mood at all during our search."

Katt shrugged. "You never know with Fox. I agree with you though, I doubt Fox, or anyone of us will truly be at peace during this mission," Katt took a sip of her coffee and glanced at Jackie. For a wolfess she'd known about since joining Pepper's security team, she'd never really got to have a one on one conversation with Jackie. "I'm sorry if this is too forward Jackie, but I have to ask; How did you gain Pepper's trust so fast? Seriously, the system didn't know you existed until the Beriul incident. Yet, Pepper told me you've been working for him a lot longer than that."

Jackie froze mid-drink. She knew Katt would be curious, it was in her nature. However, she didn't expect this so soon. "That much is true, and I'm glad Pepper kept most of my missions classified. No one in Lylat save for Pepper knew about me. It was a life I chose, and it has been a very," Jackie stopped, searching for the right word. "Interesting path I've walked."

Katt raised an eyebrow at Jackie. "Interesting huh? So why downplay it as boring?"

Jackie shrugged and continued drinking her coffee.

"If you want us to trust you Jackie then you're going about this all wrong. We all have skeletons in our closets, we've all suffered the pain of loss. I can understand your reluctance to spill the beans so to speak, and I know Pepper wouldn't hire anyone that doesn't meet his specifications. I'm vouching for you Jackie, and Ty seems to think you're going to help us out too."

Jackie bowed her head. "Thanks Katt. I'm glad you're here."

Katt smirked. "I'll do what I can to help build Fox's trust in you. However, it's Krystal you're going to have to convince. Her telepathy can make or break you, if you catch my meaning."

"I'm well aware of Krystal's abilities, you needn't worry about that. I'm here at Peppy and Pepper's request, once the mission is done then I'll be gone." Jackie finished her coffee and stood.

Katt fought against the burning question in her head, but finally blurted it out. "Do they not trust Star Fox to get this job done? Is that why you're really here?"

Jackie didn't turn to her as she replied. "That was never considered. I'm simply another set of eyes, nothing more." With that she left the kitchen and retreated to the safety of her room. With a defeated sigh she set the still empty cup on the table and collapsed into her bed, her mind heavy with what was to come.

* * *

Fox groaned at the sound of his alarm. His body worked on auto pilot as he began to get himself ready for the day. After a quick shower he changed into his flight suit before sitting down on the edge of their bed. His ear twitched as he hear Krystal mumble something before moving to hug him from behind. Fox rested his hands on hers, smiling as he saw both their wedding bands glimmer in the early morning light.

"You actually feel like you sleep well last night." Krystal whispered and kissed his temple.

"I guess Ty's stuff actually works. I didn't have any dreams at all last night," He sighed running a hand up and down her forearm. "Do you remember that morning on Fichina when you were sweating and feverish before you woke up?"

Krystal nodded, hugging him tighter. "It happened again, didn't it?"

Fox took both her hands in his. "I thought it was a side effect of Ty's joints. But it was the exact same thing as before. It wasn't for near as long this time, I guess your body must have built up a defence to it."

"I heard a voice last night. In my dream, it felt like it didn't belong. It tried to twist my dream into a nightmare but I forced it out." Krystal let Fox go and fell back onto the bed. "Just like last time though, I feel fine."

Fox smiled. "I'm glad for that."

Krystal watched Fox stand before sitting up. "Fox," He stopped with one hand on the door. "I haven't felt your mind so stable in a long time. I'm not sure if it's Tyronos or his herbal remedies helping you distract yourself. I'm just happy that it worked."

Fox smirked and walked back to his wife, kissing her quickly. "Me too," He got to the door and looked back once more. "You should probably get ready, we'll likely have clearance to launch soon."

Krystal threw a pillow at him as a reply. Fox grinned and dodged the poorly aimed attack and left their room.

It was an uneventful walk to the bridge, and the silence surrounding Fox did nothing to stop his mind from wandering. While normally his thoughts focused on finding Slippy and Amanda, today wasn't the case. He had taken some of Tyronos's advice to heart and did what he could to think of other things; like how his wife was going to be in a skin tight suit again. The image gave Fox a goofy grin as he climbed the last few steps to the bridge.

Inside was a near perfect replica of the bridge during the Aparoid invasion. The general design had remained the same with improvements being focused on technology within the ship rather than in the layout. He had to adjust the stations slightly since they didn't have a full-time mechanic anymore.

"Incoming transmission from General Hare." Fox smirked seeing the same old Rob at the helm of the ship. A holoscreen appeared before Fox, it displayed the CDF logo for a moment before Peppy appeared before him.

"We both know why I'm contacting you Fox. So let's make this brief. You and your team are to find and capture Slippy and Amanda Toad. If you find nothing within two weeks you are to return to Corneria and let Jackie go back to her normal duties for Pepper. We will assist your search in whatever ways we can. Understand Fox, that I cannot drop everything to help you." Peppy's tone didn't change, but Fox could see the controlled emotions slip ever so slightly as Peppy spoke.

"Understood, we're prepped for launch at anytime," Fox sat down heavily into his chair. "Off the record, Pep?"

"It would be frowned upon if I said yes." Peppy replied while nodding his head.

"Why did it take longer than you said to get us clearance?"

Peppy was silent for a moment. "You know I want them found as much as you Fox. I can't break rules or policies to get you there any faster. As General I have to remain objective. If they found out I was emotionally attached to your mission then they could pull the plug and let anyone get their hands on the bounty we set for them.

Fox bowed his head. "I guess Ty was right," he shook his head and looked at Peppy. "I need to get this started Pep. Are we cleared or not?"

"You're cleared for launch Fox. Good luck, Peppy out."

Fox remained in his chair, watching the hangar doors open. Soon they'd be breaking Corneria's atmosphere, and finally their mission would start again. He thought about going to tell the rest of the team they would be launching soon but dismissed it. "Falco and Tyronos will be on my case about Ty's contact soon enough." He strummed his fingers on his arm rest and waited for Rob to finish the pre-launch checks. "Take us to Aquas, Rob."

"Affirmative, we will reach our destination within six hours. Current CDF reports indicate the Beltino Warpgate is under minor repairs."

"Great, that'll certainly make our search a hell of a lot easier." Fox muttered.

* * *

"I'm surprised to see you awake this early Falco." Katt giggled as she watched the avian finish zipping up his flight suit.

"As much fun as sleeping in with you is, this mission is more important." Falco adjusted his suit slightly. "Ok, almost as important."

Katt sighed as Falco pulled her into a hug. "Do you think we'll find them this time?"

Falco shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not so sure. I almost contacted the Hot Rodders just to get a damn second opinion."

"Are they still going? I figured they'd disband after you left." Katt broke the hug and sat down on their bed.

"When I left to find Star Fox again, I told them to keep a low profile for a few years. Tyronos was actually a part of the gang back then. I have to say, he was a very different person when he was in the Hot Rodders."

"Must have been after I left and started working with the CDF on a more regular basis."

"Long story short Ty helped them stay quiet until he left. The gang tells me he stole a bunch of supplies before he left, but there was something he did that caught my attention." Falco chuckled at the memory. "He called out Ghost. The Ghost."

Katt cradled her face in her palm. "What did he hope to gain?"

"Reputation I'd have to assume. Since then people knew the Hot Rodders was under his protection. Ghost had even made a point to welcome them to Kew to hide out. As far as I know they're still on Kew and surviving." Falco smirked, a few memories of the Hot Rodders in their prime raced through his mind. While Star Fox would always be his home, the Hot Rodders had been an exciting time in his life. "Besides, without that gang I'd never have met you."

Katt blushed slightly at Falco's forwardness, still not used to have him be so open with his emotions. "Even with how much we fought?"

Falco nodded. "If I had to do this all again, I would. As long as this was the end result every time." He kissed her quickly and rested his head against hers.

"Attention all crew members, brace for launch!" Rob's voice echoed over the PA system, thankfully Fox had toned down the robot's voice, saving the crew's ears. "Repeat, all crew members brace for launch!"

The happiness faded some Falco's face. The Great Fox lurched forward before it began to regulate the G-forces within the ship. "Here we go again."

Katt smiled sadly and stood. "I'm going to go see if Krystal is awake, we've got a lot to catch up on. You should go see how Ty's doing, he's been acting weird lately." She went to kiss his cheek but Falco moved his head at the last moment, stealing a kiss from her. "I'll get you back for that."

"Hey, don't threaten me with a good time!" He chuckled as she flipped him off before disappearing down the hallway.

Falco waited a few minutes before finally leaving his room to find Tyronos. He had two guesses as to where the grey vulpine was now. Either in the hangar, or in the new lounge. "If I was a huge stoner, what would I do first thing in the morning?" He grinned and laughed to himself and headed for the lounge.

Tyronos nearly took up an entire couch in the lounge. From what Falco could tell the vulpine had barely slept, his green eyes had glazed over as if deep in thought. "Hey, you're not dead are you?"

The vulpine blinked rapidly and moved into a sitting position. "Just… distracted is all."

"Understandable," Falco sat down across from Tyronos. "Do you think we'll find them this time?"

Tyronos shrugged and pulled out his tin. "I really believe that if we keep this within the CDF and us that we wont. It'll be the exact same as before, even with Jackie's help." The vulpine took a joint and his lighter out of the tin. "We need outside help."

"As much as I want to agree with you, this is Fox's decision. We have to respect his choices." Falco said flatly as Tyronos sparked his joint.

"I'm surprised you aren't curious as to who I'd ask for help." Tyronos baited. He needed Falco to be on his side when we approached Fox again. "Not even a little?"

Falco scoffed. "Of course I am. I'm just not sure I want to hear it."

Tyronos sighed. "How long do you want this mission to take Falco? Without my contacts help we could be chasing them forever. We can't keep searching blind, she will help us out!"

"She?" Falco asked, trying not to sound as interested as he was. "Your contact is a she?"

"We kept the Hot Rodders safe while you rejoined Star Fox during the events on Sauria. If I can convince Fox to let me contact her, then we can really make some progress on finding Slippy and Amanda." Tyronos took a long drag of his joint, letting the smoke rise slowly from his mouth.

"Ghost? You'd be contacting Ghost?" Falco's curiosity had been replaced with confusion.

"She'd be the only one I'd trust with this. But Fox won't go for it, he'd rather let them make the first move." The grey vulpine growled. "He isn't going to let me help the team. Ghost is the best chance we have at finding those two toads." He watched the avian struggle with his thoughts, a sign that Falco was seriously considering contacting Ghost.

"I'm still not seeing how she's going to be useful to us." Falco said lowly to Tyronos. "Shouldn't we know where our target is before we call a specialist?"

"She's not that kind of specialist anymore." Tyronos replied. "Far more useful to us. Besides, I'd never take that hit away from this team."

"I could name a team that might. If they ever found them," Falco scoffed and shook his head. "Star Wolf would jump at that kind of money, and it wouldn't be below them to pretend to be the heroes again."

"I doubt that Wolf will let his team interfere with this mission. Despite being your rivals there is a sense of honor between the teams. Besides, you can't take away what they've done to help Corneria and Lylat."

Falco sighed defeatedly. "Fine, but I'm not holding my breath."

"Listen, if we can convince Fox to let me make the call then we won't have to worry about anyone taking this hit. He has to understand that the CDF isn't the only one keeping tabs." Tyronos felt a blast of pain in his head, forcing him to grab at the pain, as if to contain it with his hands. He quickly shut his eyes as his vision began to split again.

"Ty, you alright?" Falco asked in a mostly concerned tone.

"What? No snappy joke about me being a wimp?" Tyronos forced himself to chuckle as the stabbing pain began to fade. _'__Keep it together, we'll be done soon after the call.'_

Falco was unconvinced and placed his hand on the grey vulpine's shoulder. "Ty. I've seen pain before from how you reacted to whatever just happened," He waited until Tyronos looked up at him. "You're in a lot of it."

"I'll get myself down to the med-bay once the call is done." Tyronos knew it was a lie, and hated himself for having to do it. Falco had changed drastically in the past few months. Katt had joked that it was him finally growing up. However, Tyronos could sense it had everything to do with the Toad's betrayal. The avian held onto his shoulder for a few more moments before accepting his reply.

"Good call, we can't have you fuckin' everything up, can we?" Falco chuckled.

As much as he didn't want too, Tyronos chuckled as well. "I had to make that scouting mission fun somehow! Not my fault there happened to be a few unmanned drones hanging around."

"You let them chase you for ten minutes Ty! They could have shot you down!"

"Could have, but as memory serves they didn't. Anyway, let's try to explain this to Fox. Maybe he'll finally give in."

"I doubt it, but I'm not passing up the chance to annoy Foxie a bit. I have been good for three months! Come on Ty, let's see if we can't convince our fearless leader to let you contact Ghost." Falco smirked and began to walk back to the bridge. Tyronos held back for a minute, the dull ache in his head grew more intense again, forcing him down to one knee.

_'__Just let me finish this!'_ Tyronos felt the pain fade and stood. He did his best to conceal the pain in his face and began to follow Falco to the bridge.

* * *

Jackie glanced at the clock, she had managed to sleep for a few hours. With a groan she forced herself to get out of bed. After a quick glance in the mirror to ensure she was presentable she grabbed the coffee cup and made her way back to the kitchen. It was still quiet within the hallways of the Great Fox, even with the rest of the crew being awake. She noticed that they were now in space, more than likely heading for the first of many stops in their search. She noticed that there were a few more dishes in the sink since she'd been there and quickly went to start washing them.

Jackie was just about finished washing the few dishes when the whole Star Fox team piled into the kitchen talking animatedly. Immediately she turned and observed Tyronos keeping pace with Fox as the team leader held up his hand and shook his head. Jackie watched with some interest as she dried her hands.

"Tyronos if you keep pushing this I will lose my cool." Fox said as evenly as he could manage.

Tyronos sighed heavily, "You know that my word is good. This mission's chances of success increase dramatically-"

"Whats going on?" Jackie asked Katt softly.

"Tyronos has a contact he thinks can help find Slippy and Amanda for us." Katt replied as Krystal came over to join the other two girls. Jackie felt her gentle telepathy just by being near her.

"What is so special about this contact?" Jackie asked.

"She's has access to every computer and electronic device in the system. If the data is digital - she has it." Tyronos explain as he overheard the girls talking.

"Sounds not quite legal." Jackie replied with surprise.

"It's not." Fox said darkly. "Which is why we are not using her."

Jackie looked at the StarFox team with interest. Fox was looking at Falco now, having some sort of silent conversation left. Katt put an arm affectionately around Krystal's shoulders as they looked over at their partners. Tyronos had his arms crossed and watched Fox carefully. His eyes were bloodshot, and Jackie was pretty sure it didn't have anything to do with the cannabis he liked to smoke. The exhaustion was heavy on his body. There was desperation in his voice as he spoke with Fox. He needed this contact on board for more than just mission success.

"If she'll help us I don't see why we shouldn't contact her." Jackie said with a shrug. "She could access a much broader network that us, look places we as CDF cannot."

"You have no idea what you are supporting right now," Falco laughed and shook his head as he crossed his arms, "Here comes the shit show."

"Fine, call your friend." Fox sighed with an angry wave of his hand. "She had better be worth our time."

Tyronos grinned a little as Falco continued to chuckle and shake his head. "Don't worry Fox, I'll make sure she is."

The group split apart after the conversation had ended, Tyronos walked down the hallway as he started pushing buttons on his comm. Fox went over to Krystal and kissed her head tenderly before ushering her over to sit at the table before heading to the fridge. Jackie went back to finish washing her dishes as Fox started to cook around her. No words were spoken, but there was no awkwardness between them at least. Jackie took this as a sign of improvement.

**- Thirty minutes later -**

Nervously Krystal looked around the meeting room as Tyronos set up for their first meeting with his contact. Krystal was unsure what to expect. The hologram interaction she would have today did not allow her to reach out to her via telepathy either. She was stuck learning about them the old fashioned way - first impressions and body language. Fox entered the room and looked over at Tyronos with a stiff expression before sitting down beside her. Krystal immediately put her hand on his arm and tried to send some positive feelings to him. He smiled only for a moment before Tyronos clapped his hands.

"Good to go, we should be able to share files with her now."

"We're sharing files with her?" Fox asked with a glare.

"She had the files before we did I guarantee you," Tyronos replied with a shrug. "You have to trust me a bit Fox."

"You I trust." Fox replied. "I don't know about your contact."

"She is the only reason I'm alive right now, trust that." Tyronos sighed. "Anyway, I'm making the call."

Fox moodily looked up at the screen as Tyronos hailed his contact. The first impression was that she was not a person who got out much. She was female, an all white Vixen with keen eyes and a exhausted grin. She pulled her face into a cheeky grin as Tyronos waved.

"Look at you making friends," she cooed.

"This is the team," Tyronos agreed with a general wave to the people in the room. "I'd introduce you but I know you already know them."

"You know how protective I get of you." the vixen teased with a mock maternal tone. She looked to the others in the room. "My name is Ghost, a pleasure to meet you irl - so to speak."

"Likewise." Katt said with a tilt of her head.

Fox and Krystal remained silent even after the hologram of Ghost eyed them. Krystal put her hand on Fox's bicep affectionately as he felt his emotions spin around indecisively.

"Red." Ghost said without dropping her grin. "I am especially glad you have decided to let me into your circle."

"Temporarily."

Ghost giggled. "Temporary I do very well."

Tyronos grinned into his hand as he shared a look with Falco. Krystal looked at Fox with a reassuring smile, urging him to move into the partnership. _'__She obviously knows what she's doing.'_

_'She at least thinks she does.'_

Ghost started filling the screen with files and and CCTV stills from various locations, all of them with keywords highlighted. Fox didn't understand at first but finally Ghost pulled the unmistakable image of Amanda and Slippy. Their heads were lowered and they had tried to hide their features, but over four progressive stills of them walking through a space port it was obviously them.

"Where is that?" Fox asked walking forward and indicated the stills he wanted.

"Spaceport near Sector Z" Ghost replied pulling the stills to the centre and clearing some of the clutter. "They were spotted there three months ago."

"Three months?" Falco and Fox asked together, with equal alarm.

"We were searching for them actively! How did we miss them?" Katt asked with an exasperated groan.

"You wouldn't have been looking there." Ghost said with a shake of her head. "It's not a place rational people go."

"So they're desperate. We knew that." Tyronos countered with an eyebrow raised.

Fox was pleased that Tyronos was not above exposing his contact's potentially limited knowledge. Fox was annoyed that she had managed to find some truly helpful information however. Perhaps she would be useful after all. He looked at Krystal who was eyeing him, monitoring his emotions in case she needed to help him. She smiled affectionately and he smirked at her. She really was perfect.

"I see your Toads are up on the block." Ghost said bringing up some files.

"Fuck if they are." Fox snarled and leaned forward

"They are." Ghost repeated emptying the screen of everything except the profiles. The new "dead or alive" status flickered between white and green.

"Peppy said he wanted them alive!" Krystal exclaimed.

"Well I see them now." Ghost said with a shrug. "Wanting them alive doesn't save them by much, there are a lot of definitions to the term "not dead." technically."

"And she would know." Falco muttered to Katt softly.

"We need to find them - Now." Fox said turning and facing Ty.

"That is still our plan Fox." Ty replied rubbing his forehead. "Slippy and Amanda are't stupid, they'll hide themselves well for a while longer, we just need to figure out who they are tied up with - then we can find them."

"Why can't we find them first?" Krystal asked.

"Their contact is hiding them right now, we can't look under every rock in the system one by one. We need that contact to have a place to start looking!" Tyronos snapped. He looked up at Ghost on the screen, she was looking back at him with obvious concern.

"I'll be in touch." she said with a sad smirk and then cut the comm line, but left the profiles posted in her feed. Green and white text flashing in the heavy silence.

* * *

_**In a reply to:**_

_insomniareader - _Bill will be back like I said before. We'll see what happens then =) I hope you enjoy Ty's contact in Ghost. BTW, I only sorta feel bad for Slippy and Amanda myself. I figured I wouldn't be fair not to include some history for them, and I'll be doing that some more in future chapters. (Not all us Canucks are stereotypically nice to everyone!)

_K.S. Renard - _This version of Slippy is has been an absolute joy to write. I don't think I've seen many stories with an evil Slippy, so writing this is a very fun progress for me. As for Raji I think I made a mention of him being a wolf in chapter two. However there is a reason for it, and it'll get explained eventually.

_Jeff - _Ghost is here! Hooray! Teaming up with Krystal? We'll see. I'm glad someone caught on to that! There is another bit in here to a different story of mine. It might be a slightly more obvious hint than the Corruption one.

Side note to ~_bryan mccloud _- I guess having her directly refer to Fox as 'Red' makes it a little easier to understand. =)


	5. Ashes in Your Mouth

For what seemed like hours the team waited in silence. Ghost's information still shown on the holoscreen. Everyone looked from one another, until all eyes settled on Fox. His face hadn't changed since Ghost cut the link, a mix of anger and confusion plastered on his face.

"Fox?" Krystal gently took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"Why wouldn't Peppy tell us the truth?" He whispered and shook his head.

"With respect Fox, General Peppy doesn't have to disclose everything." Jackie took a step back when Fox glared at her. There was such raw emotion in his eyes.

"So, he'll tell you everything, but not us? His fucking family! He'll keep us in the dark? Personally involved or not, Peppy has never shorted us on information for a mission. Never."

"You understand that if Peppy gets too involved in this mission that he'll lose his job right?" Jackie countered, matching Fox's glare. "Yet here you are - his family - on the verge of contacting him again. It's no secret that Peppy favors Star Fox, and even after all we've done to clear your names people still want to see your team decommissioned!"

Fox growled. He hated how much sense Jackie made, and wished he could simply ignore everything she said. He glanced over at Krystal, then to Tyronos. "Your contact."

Tyronos winced at the mention of Ghost. "What about her?"

"How do we know she didn't just hack that status? She could have easily gotten the files from Rob and edited them, if she's as good as you say." Fox kept his glare even as Tyronos seemed to be dealing with an increasing amount of pain.

"You're right to be suspicious Fox. Ghost could've very well done that, but she looks for this type of information all the time. It's her job, and I doubt she'd give us anything less than the truth."

"I can vouch for Ghost," Falco said. "She helped out the Hot Rodders, and helped me get back to you guys over Sauria."

"Fine," Fox snapped. "Next time Peppy contacts us, I'll want answers. Until then, we'll keep making our way to Aquas."

Before Fox could stand to leave a new message began to play on the holoscreen.

_"__Attention all CDF forces. This message is in regards to the wanted status of both Slippy and Amanda Toad. Nearly one year ago, General Peppy put out a bounty for the immediate capture of these two. Both Toads had promising careers, and very gifted minds. A meeting earlier this morning has led to a five to two vote to adjust the status from Alive, to Dead or Alive. Anyone who has information regarding these two are to contact General Peppy immediately. I repeat, Slippy and Amanda Toad are now wanted Dead or Alive."_

"Certainly fucking explains why we were delayed this morning." Fox muttered, he stood and looked at everyone in turn before leaving without another word.

Krystal sighed, feeling Fox's thoughts in her mind. She saw Falco begin to go after Fox and quickly intervened. "I've got this one Falco, besides I don't need to speak for him to hear me, remember?"

Falco nodded and left the room as well. Katt and Jackie exchanged a look before they left as well. Tyronos slumped down on the couch as Krystal stood. "He'd be a wreck without you."

Krystal smirked. "I think your medicine is helping him out as well."

Tyronos chuckled. "It's not really medicine Krystal. A lot of planets consider it illegal, which is understandable but kinda stupid at the same time."

Krystal shook her head. "They made a plant illegal? Why?"

Tyronos shrugged. "Long story short? People consider it a gateway or a stepping stone to harder drugs. If you ask me, there isn't anything addictive about this. I could go on, but to sum it up. There is more pros than cons to smoking pot."

Krystal thought for a moment. "Do you think it'll help him now?"

"Honestly? No," Tyronos sat back up on the couch. "I've found that the kind of high you get is determined by your state of mind. Best thing for him is to meditate, and clear his mind." Tyronos pulled out his tin and gave Krystal one of his pre-rolled joints. "But just in case I'm completely wrong."

"I think you would have liked Cerinia, the elders considered this a sacred herb. Though it was only used in a medical sense." Krystal made her way towards the same exit Fox took earlier. "Thanks, Ty."

"Just tell him to come find me if he needs a light." Tyronos glanced at the holoscreen once more. The now familiar flash of white and green had stopped. _'__Ghost must have deleted things from her end.'_ When it flashed red he panicked until the CDF logo appeared in the upper left corner._'__Now it's CDF official, Ghost must have seen the update coming in.'_ He stood up and lazily made his way toward the hangar. Seeking some solitude while Krystal took her turn at calming her husband down.

* * *

Jackie grumbled something incoherent as she waited for Pepper to answer her call. "Come on, what could he possibly be doing?" She wasn't completely sure why she was calling him, but she felt like she needed to know why Pepper never told her about the change in the Toad's bounties. "I swear, if you don't pick up soon I'll-"

She stopped as Pepper's face appeared before her. "No, no. Don't stop on my behalf, you'll what?"

Jackie sighed defeatedly. "Nothing sir."

Pepper chuckled. "And here I thought Falco would be a bad influence on you. He'd usually has something smart to say."

Jackie kept her serious expression. "Pepper, why wasn't I informed that the CDF changed Slippy and Amanda's bounties? That's something that I, and not to mention Star Fox, should have known before anyone else."

Pepper's face fell. "You know Peppy can't keep Star Fox in the loop, not all the time. A system-wide message would ensure the team would be informed."

"General Hare might have to remain objective, but you certainly don't." Jackie countered.

"It wasn't a decision that was made lightly Jackie. We both know that if Peppy shows preferred treatment to any team or garrison under his command he'll get investigated. Some people already believe that the whole Beriul incident was orchestrated by Peppy, even when he was a victim."

Jackie sighed. "Of course I know that sir. Which is why I'm asking you, if Peppy can't be seen helping us, then why not use you as a liaison?"

"And do what? Hide information from the public? I started a civil uprising when I helped Star Fox get into Beriul's HQ. Not everyone has forgotten about that." Pepper shook his head. "Think about what would happen when the public finds out I've had a private security team running CDF ops. Think about everything you've done under my command, both during and post my run as General. It would pull everything into question."

"Alright, I get it. Still, it's better that we find out this kind of information from you or Peppy."

"Announcing the adjustment to the bounty publicly was designed to light a fire under the team. We want to make sure that the entire team, including you, is focused on finding Slippy and Amanda first." Pepper smiled weakly.

"So a CDF update isn't going to stop people from trying to claim that bounty for themselves, how?" Jackie smirked as Pepper closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I doubt Star Wolf can even get CDF updates since they're-" Jackie stopped and laughed bitterly. "Oh wait, they're still on Sargasso. So not only are they within range of the broadcast, they also have a head start."

"Wolf and his team have already contacted me. They've said they'll stay out of this mission in exchange for a lower bounty." Pepper smirked at Jackie's reaction. "You didn't think they'd stay away huh?"

"I don't think anyone would have expected them to stay away. Especially with that bounty on Slippy and Amanda's heads. I guess that's good news for Star Fox then." Jackie glanced back at Bill's report. "I should get back to work."

"Listen, Jackie." Pepper tone changed slightly, as if he wanted to whisper something to her. "I'll do what I can to keep you informed. I'll try talking to Peppy about this, but if we can keep you in the loop, then you can keep Star Fox one step ahead of any competition"

"Is this information at my discretion to inform the team?"

"No," Pepper replied quickly. "If this works and we send you information then it has to be passed on to the rest of the team. I don't think Fox will appreciate you holding information from the team. I can suspect that he didn't enjoy finding out about Slippy and Amanda's bounties this way."

"That's an understatement sir." Jackie muttered. "We should end this call. Keep me posted."

"Wilco, Pepper out."

Jackie sat down on the bed. Now she really had to keep her thoughts to herself. By now, she assumed, Krystal had become familiar with how empty her mind was. Not that Jackie didn't have thoughts, she simply had built up resistance to telepathy by dealing with Raji for so long. All she had to do was keep up that mental barrier, the one Raji had forced her to create. Although she did have to keep in mind that Krystal's power was growing, and eventually she'd be able to break down the barrier. Jackie shuddered, she only had to keep it up for two weeks.

* * *

It didn't take Krystal long to find Fox. She knew he would go to one of three places with elevated stress. Their bedroom, the hangar, or the new lounge. It was merely a matter of him settling on a spot that calmed him. She found him sitting on the railing in front of his Arwing. While the rest of the team had made modifications to their own ships, Fox had stuck with a refit of the Arwing II.

She smirked as his thoughts slowly made their way into her mind. There was no longer anger towards anyone, now he was simply trying to piece together how to make the best of this situation. _'__Here I thought you'd still be angry.'_

Fox turned to head, smiling as the vixen stood beside him. "I'm not thrilled about this, but it is out of my hands."

"You've got every right to be suspicious Fox," Krystal wrapped her arms around his waist. "Although you should let me worry about the trust issues a little more."

The vulpine sighed. "You know why I'm like this Krys. My father went through the same type of betrayal and he was never seen again!"

"For all we know, Slippy and Amanda could already be dead. They might have fled the system, or a number of other options they had. With their bounty being changed it might get a reaction out of them. Might being the imperative word there." Krystal sensed a slight change in his thoughts. "No matter where they go that bounty will follow them, it's only a matter of time before someone catches them."

"Before we catch them," Fox corrected, he jumped off the railing breaking Krystal's grasp on him. "We have more reasons than any other team to finish this mission. If they've fled the system it'll be a nightmare tracking them down."

"A nightmare but not impossible with outside help." Krystal held her ground as Fox glared at her. "You may not like it Fox, but if you want to pursue this outside of Lylat then you'll have to allow yourself trust a stranger."

Fox growled. He knew she was right, and despite how bad his trust issues had become he knew she'd always have his best interests in mind. Krystal smirked and walked towards him, resting a hand on his chest when she was close enough. "I'll make you a deal Krys. If we hear nothing new about Slippy or Amanda within the two weeks we have Jackie, I'll bring Ty's contact on-board."

"Now there's the Fox I fell in love with," She pulled him into a kiss, sighing contently as he rested a hand behind her neck. After a few moments they broke apart, feeling the positive emotions dance between their minds. "Sometimes I hate our rules."

Fox chuckled. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you without it."

Krystal giggled and playfully pushed him back. "Who's to say I'd let you?"

"I'm sure you'd come to terms with it." Fox replied with a smug grin.

Krystal laughed and handed him Tyronos's medicine. "Alright then, Foxie. I'll see your bet." She began walking away from him, swaying her hips seductively.

"Who would have thought my wife would be more of a tease after our honeymoon?"

_'__I heard that,'_ Fox could almost see her rolling her eyes. _'__By the way, Falco is looking for you.'_

Fox watched Krystal until she disappeared down the hallway. "Falco, where are you at?"

It took a few moments before Falco answered. "Up in the common room with Katt and Jackie."

Fox scoffed. "I'll be there in a few." He looked down at the joint still in his hand and debated whether or not he should smoke it. "Maybe I should wait to smoke this with Ty." He sighed and began to make his way to the common room.

As he got closer, he could hear Katt and Jackie talking. While he knew that Katt had worked with Pepper before she signed on with Star Fox, he hadn't realized that it could include working with Jackie. Now was one of many times he wished for Krystal's telepathy. With that he wouldn't need to worry about trust since he'd be able to detect deception. Maybe he could have stopped Slippy and Amanda from becoming what they are. He shook his head and steeled his mind as he entered the room.

"Hey Foxie, you doing alright?" Falco asked as he saw Fox walking towards him.

"All things considered? I've been better." The vulpine replied sitting beside Falco. "Although these recliners are comfortable."

"You certainly went the extra mile with this Great Fox." Falco chuckled and glanced over at the two females.

"I have to assume you've got more on your mind than that."

Falco smirked. "Not beating around the bush? Alright. Yeah, despite you finally accepting outside help, and Peppy's more complacent roll in this mission, you still point fingers within the team."

"Jackie is not part of this team Falco," Fox said bitterly.

"You know who she's got vouching for her Fox. Why can't you come to peace with her being here for two weeks?" Falco asked, letting a few pent up issues come forward. "And for that matter, Katt, Tyronos, and I were forced to stay in barracks while you and Krystal got to relax on Sauria."

"I told you when I left that the Great Fox was in dry dock for upgrades and repairs." Fox took a calming breath. "For the damn record I asked Peppy to put you three up in the best hotel on Corneria. Before I left that was still the case."

"Well someone must have told us otherwise. Because we sure as shit didn't get a luxury suite. Not that it matters now." Falco huffed and looked from Katt to Fox. "Listen, Fox. We all want the same thing here, and that includes Jackie. Katt has worked with her before and trusts her to see it through. I trust Katt to know what she's doing. I'm not asking you to just outright trust Jackie, anyone who has worked for Pepper that long and remained under the radar isn't someone you take at face value. However, the only one not focused on the mission right now, is you."

Fox growled. "I don't want to end up like my father!"

"You won't!" Falco yelled, causing both Katt and Jackie to look over. "You trusted us back when Beriul tried to force our hand. Back when everyone was ready to do what needed to be done. We aren't fucking innocent, yet you let us stay. How does that make us any different than Slippy or Amanda?" As Fox stood Falco grabbed his arm. "Don't you fucking walk away from this Fox. I'm trying to get a point into that thick skull of yours. Put some damn faith back into this team! We're trying to atone for our mistakes, and it's fucking difficult to do that when we all walk on eggshells around you!"

Fox stared hard at the ground. The silence that filled the room was unnerving, yet Falco still held Fox's arm. Before anyone could speak, Rob's voice echoed through the PA system.

"Minor course adjustment. CDF outposts have moved since last record visit to Aquas."

Fox looked around, making sure Jackie and Katt were watching as he pulled Falco's hand off his arm. "I have a right to be suspicious."

"Of course you do. All I'm saying is maybe you shouldn't let that suspicion control you." Falco sighed defeatedly. "Look Fox, Slippy and Amanda's betrayal didn't just affect you. You're the leader of this team, and like always, we'll back you up. But it's time you started thinking about more than just yourself about this mission. None of us want a repeat of what happened to James. I'm sure you don't want to put Krystal, or anyone of us through that kind of pain. But if you don't focus, it will happen. All I'm asking you is to just let us help you."

Fox nodded slowly before making his way to the door. "I'll… call a meeting before we get to Aquas. Right now, I need collect my thoughts."

Katt moved over to sit near Falco as Fox left the room. "Well, that was unexpected."

Falco shrugged. "He needed it. I'm sick of feeling like I have to watch what I say around him. Maybe now he'll go back to being a regular stick in the mud."

"I know my presence here hasn't helped things, but Fox really should have seen a counselor or something. That much extra baggage isn't going to help him or us during this mission." Jackie stretched her arms above her head.

"Like it or not, you're here now," Katt smiled at Jackie. "Fox has been through a lot, he just needs some more time. Even if Falco was a bit harsh, I think Fox will be better for it in the long run."

"How many more times is Fox going to be pushed into a corner before he starts pushing back?" Jackie's question went unanswered as the silence enveloped the room once more.

* * *

Tyronos was hiding in his Arwing, seeking comfort from the familiar cockpit. He found the consistency helped keep his conscious in the current timeline. Speaking with Ghost had helped - she was another consistency across the IPTTs. If only he could get Fox on board with partnering with her. She could get this mission over with and he would be free to travel again. He hoped anyway. A tear had never stayed open this long before, especially after Tyronos thought the mission had been a complete success. His exhaustion was deeper now, it spread across all the IPTTs and even as he lit another joint he knew it would never be enough. This mission would change him even more before it ended. His comm chirped at him and he brought up the message. _'You looked worse than I expected.'_

_'Thanks, I was feeling pretty good about myself and that was exactly what I needed.'_

_'So bitchy. God. Listen, I could have done better with the info about the Toads. The timing was shitty.'_

_'I honestly think it went as good as it could have.'_

_'Well shit. That sucks. Fox is that much of a hardass?'_

_'Its one of his unifying qualities, I can't blame him.'_

_'I'll start forwarding my data packages directly to Rob for the sake of transparency. You're gunna need to upload a copy of your Comm OS to bypass the CDF tracker.'_

_'I'll see what I can do.'_

_'Go eat something, you can't live off of pot.'_

_'Bit rich coming from you.'_

_'Don't make this about me. Ghost out.'_

Tyronos sighed and watched the text conversation disappear as he willed up the energy to get out of his Arwing. He watched Fox and Krystal leave a little while ago and knew that soon Fox would be waiting in the Lounge for him. Ghost was right about the eating thing though and he knew his first stop should be the kitchen. He carefully put out the joint he was smoking and stashed it away to finish later before opening up the cockpit and pulling himself out. He was lightheaded for a moment as his feet touched the ground but it passed after a few moments.

_'__We'll pretend that was blood sugar related.'_

The kitchen was empty thankfully, Tyronos went straight to the fridge. He was very pleased to find some of Fox's leftover pizza stored away with a little note that said 'Fair Game.' With a grin he turned on the oven to reheat the couple slices of pizza. Tyronos nodded his head to a song that had managed to worm it's way into it while he waited.

"Damn, you stole my idea." Falco sighed as he watched Tyronos move the pizza slices to a plate.

"All is fair in love and pizza." Tyronos replied with a grin.

Falco went to the fridge to find a back up plan to fix his hunger. Tyronos sat at the table and looked out at nothing while he ate. Falco reheated some coffee while he decided what he was going to make himself to eat. He watched Tyronos for a few moments with his arms crossed, leaning on the counter. "You planning on sleeping after you finish eating?"

"Was I supposed to?"

"I was hoping you would go check on Fox for me."

Tyronos looked over at Falco. His posture was casual but his tone betrayed some guilt. After a few more bites Tyronos finished his first slice. "What did you do?"

"Nothing I regret." Falco countered as he took his coffee out of the microwave. "It's just Fox is a little high strung is all. He might need someone to bitch with."

"I'll go talk to him. I need to butter him up again anyway. I need to install some software on Rob."

Falco snickered into his coffee. "He'll love that."

"I'm sure." Tyronos said and picked up the plate with his last slice on it and headed to the Lounge where he hoped Fox was.

In the lounge Fox was exactly where Tyronos had hoped. The vulpine sat in the chair nearest him and set his pizza down on the armrest. Fox looked over and scoffed before taking a hit of the joint he was smoking.

"I've had enough lectures today." Fox said before Tyronos could speak.

"I'm just a guy enjoying his pizza, Fox." Tyronos said with a grin and decided he would ask about the software tomorrow. He took the last of his prerolled joints out of his tin and set it aside before chomping into his pizza.

* * *

She must be sleeping. He only made his way in when she was unconscious. Curious how the psyche could be so different just because of a little nap. It was both infuriating and intriguing that Krystal was able to fend off his attacks while she was awake. He hadn't met a telepath capable of resisting his attacks in quite some time. However, this Cerinian proved to be a challenge. Instead of being weakened by his telepathy, she seemed to be getting stronger by the day.

_'Like a body fighting an infection.' _

There was only one thing to do. He had to change his method of attack. It was a risk however, if he used too much force in his attacks, it could leave him vulnerable. Not only to outside telepathy, but to the army under his control. The effort it would take to break through the Cerinian's mental barrier would risk too many minds under his control.

_'__Perhaps it's time to shake things up a bit.'_

Raji chuckled and made his way towards Slippy's lab. It had been some time since he had gotten an update from the Toads, not that they needed supervision. Slippy especially seemed a highly self motivated worker. Amanda had indeed chosen well, with her help he had stolen Cornerian's brightest mind in recent history. He had the only person ever exclusively trained by the legendary Beltino Toad, which alone was a recognizable feat. But Slippy had also flown with Star Fox, a team who refused money when they saved Lylat from the Aparoids! The blow to this system when they realized what he was a part of would be devastating.

Andross would look like nothing in comparison.

"Sir! We've got an update for you!"

Raji stopped just in front of Slippy's lab door. "Go ahead Commander Alek. But make it quick."

"Yes sir," Commander Alek cleared his throat before continuing. "The CDF sent out a system wide message shortly before cutting our connection to their network. It's our assumption that they know you control Fichina."

"We have our former Commander to blame for that." Raji chuckled. "No matter, what did the message say?"

"It would appear that both Amanda and Slippy Toad are now wanted Dead or Alive. The message was sent out earlier this morning and we worked around their firewalls to get in contact with you again, Sir."

"I'll be heading back there soon Commander, I'll help you keep control of the situation. It's about time he find out who wants to keep us quiet." Raji knew of only one person with the strength to face him once the CDF knew they lost Fichina. "And get me into contact with my old friend Erwin."

"Understood, I'll have the entire base prepare for your arrival."

Alek disappeared before Raji could reply. The wolf grumbled, he didn't feel the need to be surrounded by all the minds he controlled at once. Sure it would be less stressful and in truth he could use the breather after the failed attack on the Cerinian. He shook his head; a problem for another time. Now he was armed with information, and a test of loyalty for Slippy.

The wolf scanned his hand; Slippy had requested such a device. It was a simple request, the Toad only wanted some privacy to tinker. Raji waited for the blast doors to fully open before walking inside. Both Amanda and Slippy still worked quickly, by now he assumed they were nearing the finishing steps of his newest weapon.

"Ah Raji, you have some news for us?" Amanda asked as Raji was close enough.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Raji waited for both of them to turn to face him before continuing. "I just intercepted a message from the CDF regarding the both of you. It would seem you're both now worth something dead." The silent reactions surprised Raji, his face twisting into a smile. "I guess this means we should give them a real reason for that change."

"What did you have in mind?" Slippy asked, the tone betrayed his stern expression. A touch of pain amongst those carefully covered emotions.

"The CDF has yet to go public with this information. It's a similar move that they did before the Civil War they started one year ago. If we force the public's eyes on us; then those who have been protesting against both Ex-General Pepper and General Hare will gain power. Their involvement with Beriul's case is how we overturn them."

"Where do you suggest we do that?" Amanda crossed her arms and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Raji.

"The place you two know best! Aquas!" Raji laughed and clasped his hands together. "Think about it. You two will start a devastation the likes Lylat not only hasn't seen, it will be one they will never fully recover from."

"When do we leave?" Slippy asked, his voice once again fully controlled.

"Is it ready?" Raji asked.

"We'd need another day at least." Slippy replied after some quick calculations.

"You've got half that, then you'll take it with you and work on it on Aquas. If this is going to start - and I'm certain that it will - I'm needed on Fichina." Slippy held Raji gaze for a few moments before the Toad nodded. "Amanda, I need a moment before you get back to work."

"Of course," She grabbed Slippy's hand and smiled. "I'll just be a moment."

Slippy managed a weak smile before distracting himself with work again. Amanda quickly followed Raji to the blast doors. Neither spoke until the doors had sealed themselves again. "You know Slippy's going to ask me about what you're about to tell me right?"

"I do, which is why when I say you'll keep your damn mouth shut you will...?" Raji waved his hand in a circular motion as if waiting for an automatic response.

"He won't hear about it." Amanda replied firmly. "Now what is it that I need to know?"

"Just because you're wanted dead or alive doesn't change the end game. You know that right?" It sounded more like a demand than a question.

"Nothing will change that. I know what needs to be done," Amanda sighed. "You think this won't go very well?"

"I'm not saying it'll be the best thing you've ever done." Raji chuckled. "I'm just reminding you what happens if you get caught."

"I'm better than that." Amanda replied with a grin.

"Good. You'll be taking this ship and her crew. It should be more than enough men. Though you might want to ask Slippy to do the hacks. He is his father's son after all." Raji turned on his heel and walked towards the hangar.

"How do you know he's willing to attack the CDF?" Amanda called. Raji simply tapped his head before taking a corner and disappearing out of Amanda's view.

"You're his wife Amanda - you know more than anyone the bitterness he has."

* * *

Ghost is owned by ~Kazila and is used with permission.

**In a reply too:**

_Kazila - _I agree completely. It's a fun new way to write Ghost, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

_bryan mccloud - _Mind controlled? Not quite, what's happening to Ty will be fully explained. =)

_K.S. Reynard -_ Jackie is going to have to proof herself, that's for sure. Tyronos's headaches are likely going to get worse as the story progresses. Ghost is a wonderful character! I'm glad to get to work with her again!


End file.
